They Had Flames Inside Their Eyes
by warchiefzeke05
Summary: What happens, when a well-trained, ridiculously powerful, fanatically loyal to the Dark Lord, 11-years-old Wizard starts his first year at Hogwarts? Well... see for yourself. My first fanfic ever - cringey & awkward & lame. Read for laughs.
1. Inside The Headquarters, Prologue

_I was told they were unable of feelings._  
_I was told they were worst kind of men._  
_I have always believed those words,_  
_Up until I have met one of them._

1997, POV: Orion Exile

'Just... please, honestly, Nordi. It's already an hour past the curfew. Why do you insist on getting yourself in trouble all the time?'

'I couldn't care less about the curfew, Orion! You know about that! Just let me inside, for once... Please!'

Orion Exile looked down at his protégé. Nordi's forehead was shining with sweat, his light grey eyes seemed to glow in darkness. His still child-like face with high cheekbones was blushing with anxiety and excitement.

'We've discussed it so many times. It is no time for you to go to the Headquarters, not just yet. You're so close to your NEWT exams. After you graduate, you are free to do whatever you want, but for now, please, return to the castle and focus on your studies.'

'Orion...!'

Orion frowned. He leaned against a wall outside the Malfoy Manor estate, trying to remain calm.

'If you insist on bothering me like that, I won't tolerate you sneaking out of school to meet me here anymore. I'll assign someone to guard you, and you will not be allowed outside of the school wards.'

Nordi rose his eyebrows in surprise. Orion was satisfied; he finally managed to disconcert the boy.

'Firstly, nobody can make me a prisoner of this damn school, secondly, I highly doubt you would do this to me!' Nordi replied, frowning.  
Orion opened his mouth to disagree, but he heard some voices from the side of the Manor. Somebody was coming by.

'Orion-boy! Orion-boy, where are you?'

Bellatrix and Rudolphus. Damn it. Perfect timing.

Orion sighed, running his hand through his dark blond hair. Two dark-eyed Death Eaters walked through the huge iron front gate of the Malfoy's estate. Nordi's glowing eyes widened instantly. Bellatrix gave the boy a surprised look through her heavy-lidded black eyes. Rudolph crossed his huge arms on his chest. Well, no wonder they were confused, seeing a strange twelve-year -old in Hogwarts' school robes, standing so close to the Headquarters.

'Orion-boy, I knew some of your protégés were attending Hogwarts, but I didn't expect one of them here.' Bella said.

'He's... I told him he shouldn't be coming here...' Orion said lamely, but Nordi stepped forward.

'Is it possible that you are... Lord and Lady Lestrange from the Inner Circle? Ones of the greatest heroes of the First Wizarding War?' He asked in admiration, his voice slightly shaking. Bella rose her eyebrows, but she couldn't hide being flattered.

'You are not mistaken, boy.' she said.

Nordi came by to Rudolph and shook his hand firmly, then he bowed slightly in front of Bella and kissed her hand's knuckles. Well, at least he showed some pure-blooded traditional courtesy that was taught him since his youngest years at the Orphanage.

'I am Nordi Exile.' the boy introduced himself. 'It's a honor to meet both of you.'

Bella was visibly pleased with Nordi's manners. Orion, on the other hand, wasn't happy; he really tried to keep the boy out of this mess as long as possible. He was perfectly aware how fixated Nordi was on joining Dark Lord's forces and partaking in the war effort. However, Orion didn't want to let him fight. He was barely twelve.

'Orion-boy? I think you have some explanation to do. Why didn't you invite your protégé inside?'

Nordi looked at Bella in admiration and a boundless gratitude. Orion could only imagine how happy the boy was, finally having an opportunity to enter the HQ. The young man clenched his teeth.

'Because, Bella' he said slowly 'he is not supposed to be outside of school past curfew. Nordi, please, head back to the castle.'

'Boy, by the way, how did you get here? It's not so easy to travel in and out of Hogwarts.' said Rudolph in a curious voice.  
Nordi smiled.

'Yes, sir, that's correct; it's not exactly easy with those rather impressive wards of theirs. However, it's not the first time I sneaked out of Hogwarts to meet Orion here...'

'...It's more like a thousandth time.' Orion smirked.

'...I leave the castle grounds using an abandoned underground passageway, leading to the Forbidden Forrest. I apparate once I cross the wards.' Nordi explained, ignoring Orion's remark.  
Bella's eyes widened.

'You can actually tell when you are crossing the wards? But those wards are ancient and extremely powerful; most people are unable to sense them!'

Orion sighed.

'He is a Warding Master, Bella.' he said reluctantly. 'He is not only able to sense all kinds of wards. He can erect multi-purpose, powerful wards in no-time as well.'

Bella gave Orion an unimpressed look.

'It's a pity you never came to introduce him to us, Orion-boy. Come, Nordi. Have you had any dinner?'

'No, ma'am.'

'I was actually looking for your guardian here, to tell him that the house elves are ready with the food. You shall eat with us tonight.'

Nordi grinned from ear to ear and walked side-by-side Bella to the Manor. Orion followed them reluctantly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Orion was watching silently Bella and Rudolph chatting casually with Nordi during the dinner. He could see the excitement and joy of his protégé, especially when Rudolph agreed to tell him some stories from the previous war. Nordi always wanted to hear war stories. Even as a toddler, he used to torment Orion, asking him to tell the same stories over and over again. Nordi had a great deal of respect for all those, who fought by the Dark Lord's side years ago. Orion could never understand the boy's admiration for war veterans.

Orion did also fight in the previous war. He served as a Battle Healer in the Death Eaters' regiments. However, he never considered himself a respectable veteran, yet alone a hero.

Orion was no warrior and no hero. He was a troubled young man, struggling with an unbearable childhood trauma, shattered by internal conflicts and remorses. He never felt like a person who deserved to be respected or looked up to, even though he was a guardian to over twenty abandoned kids from the Orphanage.  
Right at the moment, one of those kids - instead of being at school where was currently his place- sat at the Headquarters and annoyed Orion with his disobedience.

CRACK! Somebody apparated in the Entrance Hall of the Manor. Orion wasn't surprised; the Manor was opened all the time for all the Death Eaters. They were allowed spend there as much time as they wanted. The Dark Lord was aware that many of his followers had no better place to stay in- some of them didn't even have a place they could call "home". The Malfoy Manor had plenty of space, a lot of spare bedrooms, a large library and a couple of house elves, providing the Death Eaters with food. Both the Dark Lord and Lucius Malfoy agreed to make all those benefits available to everyone involved in the Case, who needed them.

Two men entered the Dining Hall- Septimus Nott and August Rookwood. Orion assumed they were returning from a nighttime assignment. The fair-haired Exile watched Nordi getting up and eagerly shaking hands with both Death Eaters, introducing himself. Rookwood and Nott were visibly unsure at first, but Bella reassured them , inviting them to seat and summoning a house elf. Soon the five of them was already occupied with a lively conversation, which Orion didn't even bother to listen to, lost in his own thoughts.

Orion was under impression that it was already very late. He drew his wand, casting a quick tempus. It was 1 at night. Everybody was done with their dinner.

'Nordi!' Orion yelled. Everybody focused their eyes on him. 'Do you realize what time is it? I'd rather not think If you get caught wandering around Hogwarts castle at this time.'

'That's why he stays.' Bella answered.

'Excuse me?'

'Well, see, Orion... Tomorrow is Saturday and I don't have to attend any classes in the morning, so Lady Lestrange and I figured out that I might as well stay; besides, just like you've pointed out yourself, I'm not supposed to be walking around the castle at this time of night.' Nordi explained.

Orion sighed; he already knew he won't be able to convince the boy otherwise, so he just shrugged his shoulders.

Nordi grinned. 'Lady Lestrange...'

'Please, dear. Call me Bella.'

Nordi opened his mouth in amazement.

'Really? I mean... Yes, of course, Bella!'

Bella smiled. 'Shall we be going then?'

'Yeah, let's go!'

Orion frowned. 'Going where?'

'To the Training Hall, of course. We are all curious about your protégé's combat abilities.' Bella answered.

'What? But... now? In the middle of the night?'

Bella rolled her eyes.

'Orion-boy, Death Eaters are most active during nighttime. After all those years, you should have gotten used to it.'

She stood, up , drew her wand and headed towards the door.

'Time for training, everyone! Wakey, wakey, no sleeping! BOMBARDA!'

Orion looked horrified at the small explosion caused by Bella (which luckily, didn't scratch the ceiling). Nordi, on the other hand, looked with admiration at his new authority figure, and followed her to the Training Hall.

'Are you people insane?' Orion hissed. 'Do you really wish to be cursed? You will upset the Dark Lord with all those noises...'

Nott gave him an unimpressed look.

'Bella would never do anything to upset him, Exile. I thought you were aware of that. The Dark Lord, to your information, is at the Little Hangleton at the moment. And, by the way, please don't butt in anymore. The Lestranges aren't too happy with you.'

Orion frowned.

'Why, Sept?'

Nott rolled his eyes.

'How are we supposed to gain new followers, if you are actively trying to keep the younger generation away from us? From the conversation with the boy tonight I figured that much out: he was willing to approach us for almost two years , many times! And what were you doing? Keeping him oblivious, away from significant events. I must say, Exile, that I am somehow disappointed. This is borderline an act of sabotage. Especially that there are more kids in this Orphanage of yours. Tell me, are they also so eager to partake in the fight, but you are the one who holds them back?'

Orion felt his heart sinking. He froze on the spot, stunned by Nott's accusations.

'Septimus' he said in a small voice. 'I'm not sabotaging, merely trying to protect the boy. I believe that I'm doing only what is best for him and for the other kids. Addressing your last question, no. Nordi is the only one with a will to fight.'

Nott looked at him.

'Your approach is incorrect.' he stated. 'You cannot protect someone against his own will, because such a protection is harmful.'

Having said that, Septimus followed the rest to the Training Hall, leaving Orion alone and broken.


	2. I Want To Fight!

Two years earlier, POV: Nordi Exile

Nordi was never meant to end up in such a pathetic excuse for a school, which dared to call itself the greatest school for young Witches and Wizards in the world.

After all, the Basic Level Training in the Exiles' Orphanage covered the entire curriculum of Hogwarts up to the NEWTs level, obviously expanded with branches of Dark Magic that Hogwarts would never wish to teach anyone. And the Basic Level Training was underwent by all Orphanage's protégés aged four to seven.

Nordi had to admit that he considered himself very lucky to have been raised in this place. Not only because the other fate he would face, would most likely be a life in the Muggle world. Also, children taken into Exiles' Orphanage's care had a chance for much better childhood and education than thousands of their peers raised in normal Wizarding Families.

The Orphanage was created over a hundred years before. Its founder, Lord Merit, was an elderly Wizard from an old, pure-blooded line. Despite his family's Dark tradition, he had developed as a Wizard with a strong Light affinity. As an only Merit heir, he came into possession of his Father's Manor. He dedicated his life to helping abandoned children with no place to live, rearranging the Manor to be used as an Orphanage. The name of the facility-"Exiles' Orphanage"- originated in the sort of children who were taken into Merit's care. Most of them weren't-technically- "orphans". Magical children whose parents had passed away were usually placed immediately in their Magical relatives' households or in Wizarding foster-families.

Merit's institution, on the other hand, took care mostly of children abandoned and disowned, literally- "exiled" from their families. Oddly enough, in most cases kids thrown away from families were kids born in old, pure-blooded Wizarding houses. Usually, those families were troubled ones, with various internal conflicts going on, not being a safe place for a child to grow up, or - in some other cases- said families already had one child set to become a heir, therefore, they didn't want- or couldn't afford- rising another one. For the children whose ancestry was unknown or unsure (that means: a majority) Lord Merit provided blood-status tests, ran by Goblins of Gringotts. The Goblins, being specialists in genealogy, were always able to track one's lineage for a few generations back, if not learning the names, at least learning their Blood Status.

Lord Merit passed away at the age of 136, at the decline of the First Wizarding War. Consequently, Orion-sixteen-years-old at the time, a fresh war veteran- as the eldest protégé, took the charge of the facility. Orion, being-unlike Merit-a Dark Wizard and a Death Eater, implemented a lot of changes in the Orphanage, mostly concerning the educational curriculum, which started to embrace Dark Arts from the earliest years.

Nordi was abandoned and disowned at nine months of age. Young Orion found him on a doorstep of a nearby Muggle orphanage by a pure luck. He had felt a strong Magical Aura from the side of a Muggle neighborhood, and hurried to check it out. He was had obviously been shocked to see a Wizard baby wrapped in a blanket on a doorstep.

Nordi grew up to be the best. He was an over-eager and hyperactive child. He was always willing to do better than the others, go further than the others and experience more than the others. If necessary, he would gladly put twice the amount of effort the other children put in their education. However... he never had to.

Honestly, he didn't have to put any effort at all. At the Basic Level Training, he turned out to be a Natural Magic user. He succeeded at the first try at each spell, and using a wand seemed only to restrain him. Orion tried taking it away and encouraging him to perform spells wandlessly. Nordi did it without any effort- any at all.  
Obviously, the boy had no business keeping the pace of other six-years-old at the BLT. He graduated at the top of his class a year earlier than others. Therefore, he earned a right to receive a private tutelage from Orion (with such a big group of pupils, the blond-haired man couldn't afford to provide everyone with advanced classes- he selected just a few best students).

During the private classes, Nordi's Magical Affinity became clearer, stronger and darker, than by the other children his age. Dark Spells were coming so naturally for him, that it was almost freaking Orion out (much to Nordi's amusement). The boy soon understood, that the incantation of the spell wasn't the most important part- much more crucial was understanding the nature of the spell itself. Its origins, its affiliation, the way it was supposed to affect Magic and the object or person it was casted at. With that in mind, Nordi was always succeeding, slowly and steadily becoming an almost ridiculously powerful Dark Wizard.

A couple of years after completing his Basic Level Training, Nordi became interested in Magical Rituals, especially those involving Blood Sacrifice, and the application of said Rituals in creating Magical Wards. From then on, with Orion's help, the boy focused almost exclusively on this branch of Magic. His interest soon became an almost unhealthy obsession. Nordi read (if not memorized) all the books on Rituals and Wards from Merit's library. He spent entire days and nights on experimenting with Blood Rituals. He erected multiple protective wards around his bed at the Dorms, including the one that burned fingers of anyone who dared to come by too close. Not surprisingly, he was soon thrown away from the Dorms by his angry roommates. Orion relocated the boy to a small room in the dungeons, which- in Merit's father's times- was used as a cell for prisoners.

Of course, Nordi was delighted- at last he had a room for himself, even if it was in the dungeons and the size of a large cupboard. At least nobody was complaining about his wards and the amount of his blood on the floor (the Blood Rituals had to be paid for somehow). Having his private space, Nordi started to study even harder, trying new Rituals, developing stronger wards, experimenting. Orion was no Warding Master and there was nothing he could help the boy with anymore- so instead, as a form of repayment, Nordi decided to help Orion.

He took from his legal guardian a part of his overloaded schedule and started teaching the youngest group of BLT kids (not about his favorite stuff though; those children were still too young to start exploring such a complex branch of Magic as Rituals). Nordi was a decent tutor in most of the basic subjects, but he mostly enjoyed teaching Offensive and Defensive Dark Spells (all of his classes being practical though).

In the memorable year when Nordi turned ten years old, something began to change. The boy couldn't really describe what, but something felt off.  
At first, the air around him. Something everybody takes for granted and never ponders upon. As ridiculous as it sounds, Nordi noticed air becoming... lighter. Easier to breath.

Then, Nordi's eyesight improved. Almost overnight. Shapes of objects he was looking at became sharper and clearer. Colors became more intensive and satiated. He almost gasped one day when he looked through a window at the grass outside. He was shook by its new, intensive green.

His hearing improved so immensely, that he could hear his own heartbeat in a silent room. Even his sense of taste changed. His sweetened Pepper-up Potion never tasted so good, even though it was the same as usual.

Nordi was happy with those positive changes, although, he was desperate to find out the source of them. He comprehended as soon as he performed first in a few days Dark spell- Fiendfyre, which he intended to teach the kids.

He didn't mean to create a fire tsunami. It was supposed to be a small blazing "monster" he could keep in check; of course having casted fireproof shields on himself and the children beforehand. However, Fiendfyre turned out enormous. It quickly took over the classroom.

Nordi, instead of putting the fire down, looked amazed at his creation. The flames encircled him and a small voice inside his mind told him to lift his protective shield. He did so, and, to his admiration, the fire didn't harm him. The flames were just pleasantly warm. He understood- he had perfect control of the cursed fire, even despite of its enormous size.  
Kids' screams of fear got him out of his thoughts.

'Calm down, you have all shields on yourselves; besides, the fire cannot harm you, as I am in control of it!'

'Nordi, you madman! Put it down!' he heard a high-pitched scream and rolled his eyes. Suddenly, the classroom's door opened and Orion stormed in.

'What the bloody hell is going on here?!' he yelled.

Nordi ordered the flame to approach Orion, slowly and calmly. The blond-haired young man froze on the spot, eyeing cautiously the cursed fire. A flame encircled him gently, not doing him any harm, just like Nordi wished.

The ten-year-old, sitting on a teacher's desk, watched in speechless admiration his wonderful fire, eyeing greedily its satiated, vivid colors thanks to his new, improved eyesight.

'Okay, Nordi, that's enough! Put the fire down!'

Nordi sighed and snapped his fingers. The flames disappeared.

'So much of a teacher you are!' Orion snarled and threw the boy out of the classroom. Nordi shrugged his shoulders; at least, he comprehended the sudden changes in his perception and senses.

It was a sudden outbreak of Dark Magic from outside, that reacted well with his in-born Magical Aura. His Magical abilities, as well as his body, were improving because of a new, strong source of Dark Magical energy. Nordi was so in-tuned with his own Magic, that a familiar, powerful Magical energy influenced not only his performance as a Wizard, but even his physical abilities.

And what was the source of this strong Dark Aura- or rather, who was this source- was soon to be found out. After the Fiendfyre show-off, Orion didn't want to leave Nordi alone with a class of little children from BLT, so he appointed the boy to be his assistant during classes unless he "calms down". Nordi basically had to carry books and educational facilities for Orion, clean up the classrooms and hand over papers. Only the _lame jobs_, one could say. But, being an assistant, Nordi spent more time around Orion and started noticing changes, which gave him a clue about what was going on.

Orion did never bother to cover his Dark Mark, as everybody in the Orphanage knew about it, and some also admired it and envied it. Orion had usually sleeves of his robes comfortably rolled up. And, as Orion stood casually in front of the class, giving a lecture about a Basilisk, Nordi could help but notice how the Dark Mark on Orion's forearm had changed. The snake and skull symbol, once looking like a faded tattoo, now was sharp, clear and in an intensive shade of black. And Nordi was sure that it wasn't due to his improved eyesight. He could feel strong Dark Magic radiating from the Mark.

During some other class, when a group of five-year-olds was supposed to transfigure a mug into a goblet, Nordi was walking around the classroom, helping out and giving tips. Orion, as usual, stood leaning against his desk, and, suddenly, let out a small groan. Nordi turned his head towards him- Orion closed his eyes, bit his lower lip. His face was very pale. The Dark Mark on his forearm was pulsating.

That day, Nordi finally comprehended what was going on and made his decision.

He gave up exploring Magical Rituals and Wards for a time being. He suspended all the projects he was currently working on and cleaned up all books on wards lying all over his room.

He needed to get better at combat. He decided to practice Offensive and Defensive Magic restlessly.

The Dark Lord was back. And Nordi wanted to stand by his side and fight.

After completing his Basic Level Training four years prior, Nordi had already been a decent dueler. His sills have greatly improved during his training sessions with Orion. However, he was _not as good as he could have been_. He had been neglecting his combative skills over the last couple of years, having dedicated himself completely to Rituals and Warding. He needed to revise what he was already able to do in the field of Offensive and Defensive Magic, and - if possible-to learn new combative spells.

Nordi went to the library and packed on all the books on Dark Arts in combat he could find. After a night worth of research, he figured out that there wasn't a single spell that he didn't know how to perform, however- he still needed plenty of practice.

All of the Orphanage's protégés were free to use a well equipped Training Hall, created by Lord Merit decades before. It had a set of training dummies that could be programmed and adjusted to the trainee's level, as well as soft mattresses all over the floor to make collapsing less painful. Nordi found the room to be really cool, however, there was one serious downside of using it- it was always full of practicing children from BLT (and it was supposed to be; after all, the Hall was meant for them). The ten-year-old had to resort to practice in a forest nearby the Merit Manor during the day, firing amazing combinations of curses at the fallen tree trunks. In the nighttime, when the kids (and hopefully Orion) were sound asleep, Nordi made a use of the Training Hall, setting the dummies on the most advanced level.

When the boy was finally satisfied with his combative progress, he decided to take things into charge. As Orion was the closest person who could initiate Nordi to the Dark Lord's ranks, he decided to show his legal guardian his abilities, and prove himself worthy of at least giving a chance.  
That day,he came by to Orion when the BLT classes were over, and requested to have a mocking duel with him. Orion-as supposed- was reluctant , obviously having many important things going on right now, things more valid than a sparing with an "overeager and hyperactive ten-year-old". Luckily, he finally agreed and went with Nordi down to the Training Hall.

And, by the Dark Lord's name, Nordi did prove himself worthy.

However, Orion did not acknowledge it. He refused to take the boy with him to the Graveyard that night.

Instead, he pulled two pieces of parchment out from his robes' pocket. Nordi looked at them in disbelief- one of the sheets was a Hogwarts acceptance letter, the other one- an enrollment form, apparently filled and signed by Orion for him beforehand.

The boy froze on the spot, with disappointment breaking his heart and his eyes blazing with anger.

He snapped his fingers, setting the two filthy pieces of parchment on fire, and- additionally- burning Orion's fingers. He turned away and stormed out, heading to the dungeons.  
The boy didn't come out of his room and didn't talk to anyone until evening the next day. He shielded himself with the strongest protective wards he could create, and sat on his bed with a large piece of parchment which he tagged as "ESCAPE PLAN".

Nordi sighed. Escaping from the Orphanage. If somebody had given him this idea two days before, he would have probably laughed them off.  
The boy liked this place. He had good living conditions, his own room (yeah , a cramped one in the dungeons, but with a Warming Ward keeping its temperature at constant 25°C it really was a cozy place) and, more importantly, he had a much better level of education than most of the young Wizards and Witches around the world. And yet Nordi was planning to run away from this place.

It seemed like an only option though. He wanted to fight. He wanted it so badly. His hands were shaking upon the piece of parchment; drops of sweat from his forehead fell on the sheet. Nordi was sweating heavily; he chugged a watered down Calming Draught since yesterday and yet, no amount of the Potion was able to soothe his anxiety. His entire body was trembling with excitement and he felt like he had a fever. He lifted his head slightly and felt his, yet again, soaking-wet undershirt underneath his robes. He cursed and changed shirts for the fourth time that day, tossing the sweaty one on a filthy pile on the floor.

'_By the Dark Lord, Exile, calm down. You are going to fight and nobody can stop you. Just calm down and think of a plan!_', he thought to himself anxiously.  
Knock, knock. Somebody was at his door. 'If it's Orion, I'm gonna hex him first and ask questions later' Nordi decided.

'Nordi, put the wards down, it's me.' Orion's voice said.

Nordi made a slight gesture with his hand, erasing all of the Ritual Circles drawn on the floor.

'Wards are down.' he said.

The door opened slowly.

'PROTEGO!' yelled Orion, shielding himself from a silver-blue hex Nordi casted at him.

The boy rose his eyebrows in surprise. Orion tossed his wand at Nordi's bed, lifting his arms up and showing him his empty hands.

'I'm not here to fight, Nordi. I'm here to talk. If you consider yourself an adult, please act like one. I suppose you can hold a mature conversation. Or perhaps, you are going to keep throwing hexes around like a little brat?'

Nordi blushed slightly. Perhaps what he has done wasn't very mature, but he was too upset to think about it. However now, his curiosity has won over his anger.

'What happened at the Graveyard?' he spat out. He couldn't help himself but to ask.

'I'll answer you, if you answer me first. Is that ok?'

Nordi nodded reluctantly.

'So, Nordi, first of all. Why don't you want to go to Hogwarts?'

Nordi's eyes widened. He couldn't actually believe that his legal guardian asked him that question. He hissed in anger, clenching his teeth.

'How can you even ask me that?' he whispered. 'How can you ask, knowing what I aim for, knowing what my dreams are! Do you think that I am blind? Or stupid? Do you think that I didn't realize that our Lord is back?' Nordi's voice was shaking with emotions.' Orion, I want to aid him, I want to aid you! I want to join you and fight! That's the only thing I care about!' the boy found himself subconsciously pointing on Orion's left forearm. 'And instead, you are sending me to some lousy school for a bunch of clumsy kids, who cannot even perform any Magic without this ridiculous stick!' he pointed on Orion's wand. 'I'm terribly sorry, brother, but I am not going. By the way, I wasn't even supposed to go there in the first place. You had never mentioned anything about me going to Hogwarts before!'

Orion let out a sigh.

'That's correct, you were not supposed to. But taking into consideration the recent events...'

'Taking into consideration the recent events, I should be going to the frontlines, not to some lame excuse for a school ! I'm ready and able to fight, Orion...I have proven this to you!'

'If you'd just listen to me for a minute and not cut in, please.'

'Ok, just spit it out.'

Orion sighed again.

'Alright. I'm sure you know that not a lot of Exiles have the opportunity to attend Hogwarts.'

'Of course not! Because we don't need to attend it !'

'You said that you would let me speak.'

Nordi rolled his eyes.

'Tell me, how many of the Orphanage protégés attend Hogwarts right now?' The blond-haired man asked.

Nordi gave him a surprised look, but answered the question.

'Only two. Cass Exile, third year Slytherin, and Irisviel Exile, seventh year Slytherin.'

Orion nodded.

'That's correct. I cannot afford to send there all of the pupils, because the tuition fee and equipment for Hogwarts are expensive. You are one of the most skilled Wizards I have ever encountered, Nordi, and therefore you deserve a chance to get a formal education.'

Nordi's eyes twinkled with anger.

'Do you really think so lowly of me, Orion? By the Dark Lord, do you even realize that this "formal education" of theirs doesn't exceed beyond our BLT, so I wouldn't possibly need it?!' he yelled.

'I've just said that I'm thinking highly of you, that's why I'm giving you this opportunity! Formal education, Nordi, equals OWLs and NEWTs, exams acknowledged internationally, which are unobtainable in an unofficial school like ours...'

'You're just _unbelievable_. I am standing here in front of you, soaking in sweat, talking about fight and sacrifice, and you are wittering about NEWTs and OWLs!'

'Look, Nordi. I dropped out of Hogwarts just after I took my OWLs. I have never completed my education and I...believe me, I regret it.'

Nordi gasped; they were going there. Orion's remorses and haunting second thoughts-caused by a deep wound in his mind left by his traumatizing past- were the man's biggest insecurities. Nordi didn't mean to bring this topic up, but he was desperate to convince Orion to his rights.

'Orion... I don't want to be mean...your issues are serious... but look, you cannot apply this measurement to everyone. I am not you, and I am not through what you have been through. I am not prone to second thoughts. I never have any remorses.'

Orion's eyes darkened; he was visibly unwilling to elaborate this topic.

'You may be right, however, this is not all. You said you want to join the Dark Lord's forces and fight on the frontlines...'

Nordi lifted his head up on him immediately.

'...and you told me that you are ready. However, I don't think you are.'

Nordi rose his eyebrows.

'You saw yourself how ready I am. Yesterday, during our sparing.'

'It wasn't a sparing, Nordi, it was a mocking duel. And it's called "mocking" for a reason. You have almost killed me. If not for me being a Master Healer, we wouldn't have this conversation right now. I assume you didn't intend to kill me?'

'Of course not!'

'That only points out that you still need to work on yourself. Your control over your Magic is impressive for your age, but it's not perfect. At Hogwarts they'll teach you how to control your rather extraordinary skills.'

Nordi was unsure how to respond.

'Second thing: Mind Arts. You're still struggling with Occlumency, aren't you?'

Nordi nodded. The branch of Mind Magic have always been his weakest point.

'If you wish to become a Death Eater, you should know how crucial is for us to shield our minds. This is an absolutely essential ability. Unfortunately, regarding my... issues... I'm afraid I cannot do much to help you in the Mind Arts field. However, Hogwarts has teachers competent in this niche; I'm sure they will be willing to help you if you ask them.'

Nordi for the first time felt somehow interested in the school.

'You think they could teach me Occlumency there?'

'Yes. You are going there with an intention to develop and learn new things. I'm positive that Occlumency, although most important, won't be the only thing for you to learn there.'

Nordi still wasn't convinced about Hogwarts, but with Orion putting it that way...

The blond-haired man noticed the water jug with a diluted Potion on Nordi's bedside cabinet. He took it and sniffed; his eyes widened.

'Calming Draught?' He asked in a surprised voice.

Nordi sighed. He took off his outer black robe to show Orion a soaking-wet undershirt. Orion gasped.

'Anxiety is killing me, Orion. This desire to go and fight-immediately- is so strong that it causes me almost physical pain. If it stays that way I'm going to sweat out an entire ocean before I graduate from Hogwarts.'

Orion sighed

'I didn't realize that it's that bad, Nordi, but if it is...I'll tell you something important. I will disclose to you a piece of information that I obtained on the Graveyard yesterday. However, you must swear on the greatest Wizard that you will keep the secret'.

Nordi's eyes lit up.

'I swear on the name of the Dark Lord.' he said solemnly.

'The Dark Lord isn't planning to start a war anytime soon.'

'E...excuse me?!'

'Nordi, I'm telling the truth. Think about it. He's just managed to restore his corporal form. He is gathering information, making plans and collecting Death Eaters. He wants to get stronger before making any significant move.'

Nordi nodded, that actually made sense.

'So. .. There'll be no Aurors hunting? No night Raids? No storming the Ministry? No coup d'état?'

'Not anytime soon.'

Nordi met Orion's light blue eyes which begged him to understand.

'Look, Nordi: you will have plenty of opportunities to become a hero in your life. I know how... unbelievably dedicated... you are, but you are also only ten years old. You are going to Hogwarts to develop as a Wizard and as a person, but I'd also really like you to have a normal youth. At least those few years at school. Try to benefit from this time. Make some friends, visit Hogsmeade, play Quidditch and take a girl on a date. In the future you can be an excellent Dark Wizard... whoah, you already ARE an excellent Dark Wizard, but please remember, you are young just once in your lifetime.'

Nordi was unsure how to respond; Orion was yet again applying those measurements of his to the boy. He couldn't care less about making friends and playing Quidditch, yet alone _dating_. On the other hand- Occlumency and learning better control during a duel were things he could use.

Orion stood up and headed towards the door. Before he left, he gave Nordi one more look.

'Cass and Iris are going to the Diagon Alley this week to shop for books and school supplies. I expect you to go along with them and get everything you need.'

'Alright' Nordi muttered, but suddenly he realized something.' Uhmmm, Orion...I've kinda... burned my list of books and school supplies down.'

Orion rolled his eyes, pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and tossed it at the boy.

'Good thing I had foreseen this and made a copy beforehand.'


	3. An Unforgettable Sorting Ceremony

Cass Exile was a short and skinny thirteen-year-old with a simple outlook in life. Abandoned at the very day he was born, a second-in-line to a heirloom of an old pure-blooded family. He was one of the few in the Orphanage to actually know his real family name, however, being disowned, he wasn't allowed to use it, and was forced to use the 'Exile' as his last.

Irisviel Exile was abandoned at the age of two by a single pure-blooded mother who couldn't afford to raise her. Iris has never found out what her real family name was. She was 16 years old and was about to take her NEWTs.

Both of the Hogwarts students were stunned when Nordi came up to them and declared that he was going to school with them in three weeks time. The teenagers stared at him in a speechless disbelief.

'Are you sure that you understood Orion correctly, Nordi?' Iris asked hesitantly. 'He had never mentioned anything about you going to Hogwarts before.'

'That's because I wasn't meant to go there. I didn't want to! Believe me that I had different plans. Orion has changed his mind just recently; if you want to hear his reasoning, please go to him. I have just had an hour long conversation with him and don't wanna go through this again.'

'Dude, is Orion even sane?' Cass asked. 'He's sending to Hogwarts a guy who could blow the entire castle up with a single Bombarda?'

Nordi rolled his eyes. 'I'm not gonna blow the school up. If I did, where would we be studying?'

'There's nothing for you to study there, Nordi. Even me and Cass get bored at classes because we already know the entire curriculum. Yet alone you.' Iris said.

'You think I don't realize that?' Nordi asked bitterly. His whole grief has returned, triggered by the girl's truthful words. 'I have really better stuff to do than sitting in some school. I'm preparing for the fight; I still need some more time and training, but I will show Orion that I am worthy. After he refused to take me to the Graveyard that night, I...'

'Nordi' Cass cut in, gasping with excitement. 'Do you know what happened at the Graveyard?'

Nordi looked at him.

'The Dark Lord has restored his corporal form.' Nordi answered, he figured that much out of conversation with Orion.

'That's sick awesome' Cass replied. 'Do you know how did that happen?'

'I can only guess, but I assume it involved some very complex and barely known Sacrificial Ritual.'

'Wow...What do you know about such a Ritual, Nordi?'

The younger boy gave it a thought.

'Well, I can assume it must have required multiple sources of sacrifice. I have never performed such a Ritual myself and I don't think I have ever came across it in the books. Nevertheless, I'm going to make a research on this, because it's surely fascinating. If you are interested in the Ritual, Cass, you can drop by and help me with the research, I have plenty of books on the topic.'

Thirteen-year-old grinned.

'Sure, that would be...'

Irisviel patted the boy on the shoulder, cutting him off.

'Guys, I think Orion is right. You shouldn't get involved in this stuff, at least not yet.'

Nordi rose his eyebrows.

'No way, you too? Tell me, Irisviel...' he lowered his voice to a whisper 'You are almost seventeen. You can be called up to fight anytime. What will you do when your time comes? When the Dark Lord will call upon you, what your answer will be?'

Irisviel blushed crimson. She definitely wasn't expecting such a question and felt uncomfortable with it.

'I don't know.'

Cass smirked. 'You don't wanna fight, Iris?' he asked and turned his face towards Nordi. 'I'mma go when I'm called, Nordi.'

Nordi looked at Iris cautiously, he decided to keep a close eye on the girl. When her dark brown eyes met Nordi's grey ones, a question within them could be seen.

_'Where do your allegiances lay, Iris?'_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The trip to the Diagon Alley two days later wasn't really that eventful. Nordi had been at Knockturns a few times before. Diagon Alley was much more noisy, chaotic and colorful. And full of Hogwarts students running around, one of whom Nordi was about (much to his annoyance) to become.

The only interesting event that happened that day was Nordi making a big fuss about purchasing his school robes. Irisviel almost forcefully dragged him to Madam Maklin's store.

'Take a look at your freakin' list, Nordi. You're supposed to own three sets of school robes.' she said in an annoyed voice.

'And what don't you like about my own robes, Iris?'

Nordi had received his set of robes for his ninth birthday from Orion and it was a very, very special gift. Those were Orion's old Death Eater robes from the wartime, which the man had kept in a perfect condition for over a decade. Orion participated in the First Wizarding War in those robes. The set was excellent for combat as it was designed not to restrict movements or tangle underfoot like standard Wizarding robes. The torso and back part, as well as the sleeves, were made of young dragon's black leather and provided protection from mild hexes. The set included also a heavy leather belt with a wand hostler and a silver buckle. Nordi had nearly killed Orion with hugs and thanks the day he turned nine, and didn't part ways with his precious robes ever since. He walked around everywhere, not giving a crap about people staring awkwardly at his outfit.

'Maybe what I don't like is that those are...' Iris lowered her voice to whisper '..._Death Eater's robes_.'

Nordi came by closely to Iris and stared in her eyes, making the girl feel uncomfortable.

'And you are feeling disturbed by this fact.' Nordi stated in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Iris blushed and stepped back, muttering something about Nordi better not be going to Hogwarts. Cass laughed her off. 'Nordi, dude, your robes're awesome, but you gotta go and buy a standard school set; surely the times will come when we'll be allowed to dress like this to school, but for now we must stick to their rules.' he said.

At the end of the day Nordi got himself three sets of school robes, but made a small compromise: he decided to leave his heavy leather belt with a hostler fastened around his midsection.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nordi felt very unimpressed by his new school textbooks he purchased at Flourish and Blotts.

Having skimmed through all of the books, Nordi grabbed the lot of them and stormed into a Basic Level Trainee's class (interrupting Orion, who was trying to hold a lecture about Werewolves) and slammed the huge pile on the teacher's desk.

Orion looked annoyed.

'If you are about to make a fuss, please wait until I'm done with the class.'

Nordi ignored the man and asked the five- and six-year-olds to come up. Just as he had assumed, the kids were not only familiar with contents of the books for years, but also found the subjects taught at Hogwarts ridiculous.

Calin Exile was a small five-year-old who had once asked Nordi to teach him Fiendfyre, and managed to master a small amount of flames. Now, Calin lifted his huge light-blue eyes at Nordi.

'Big Bro, are you going to be studying this stuff?' he asked, frowning.

The children burst into laughter. Nordi managed to let out a small laugh as well, but he started to fell more and more sure that he had no business going to Hogwarts.

'That's not all, look over here' Nordi took one of the textbooks.

'This class is called DADA, Defense Against Dark Arts. They are studying how to defend themselves against us. _Us_, Orion. What, by the Dark Lord, am I supposed to do at that class? Maybe I'll become their guinea pig and they will try defending themselves against me? '

'No way, Big Bro Nordi. You would make a huge bloody mess out of them without even trying. So much of a guinea pig you are!'

Everyone burst into laughter. Orion sighed.

'Nordi, let me go on with the class.'

'Exactly, Nordi; unlike you, we are actually going to learn something!' Another five-year-old said.

Nordi shot Orion an angry look and stepped out, carrying his pile of books.

As soon as the class was over a few minutes later, Orion chased Nordi in the Hall.

'What is it? Do you wanna do me a favor and burn all this crap down?'

'Nordi, put those books down and hear me out. I know that it doesn't look too promising, but remember that most of the Dark Wizards have been through the same.'

Nordi gave his guardian a surprised look.

'The top Death Eaters are Hogwarts graduates.' Orion explained .'Bella, Rudolph, Rabastan, Nott, Carrow siblings, Lucius and...' the fair-haired man paused '...myself, even though

I didn't graduate, I have spent there five years of my life. And, see, I will incline you to yet another secret. One of your teachers is our spy at Hogwarts. He is a member of the Inner Circle.'

Nordi couldn't believe, a top Death Eater was going to teach him at Hogwarts?

'Who?' he asked.

'It's too much of a danger to know such details. His cover is not to be blown and you haven't yet learned to shield your mind properly.'

'You've got the point.'

Nordi headed back to his room and tossed all of the books to his trunk, preparing for departure the next day. He wasn't at all convinced about Hogwarts; all he could do was to hope that it won't be so horrible.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx;

Nordi apparated at the Hogsmeade Train Station at 6:30 p.m the next day with a shrunken trunk in his pocket (the Welcoming Feast was supposed to start at 7:30).  
Iris and Cass were talking something about a nine-hours-long train ride and made a big fuss about it, but Nordi just gave them both an awkward look which was meant to ask if they hadn't forggoten to take their St. Mungo's psychotropic Potions.

The train was yet to arrive, so Nordi made his way slowly up the hill, towards a huge castle.

He was mildly concerned about the wards; and he wasn't mistaken-those ancient shields protecting the castle were one of the most powerful and awesome ones he has ever encountered. Nordi closed his eyes and drew his hand out, extending his Magical Aura to examine the wards. Yeah, the strongest ward was an Anti-Apparition one, but there was also one meant to prevent Dark Wizard and Witches from entering the school grounds. Grown-up Wizards and Witches, he might have added. The students were usually yet do develop both their Magical Aura and Affinity. Well, Nordi was no ordinary student. Even his hand, outstretched toward the ward, started burning painfully. If he walked into the ward unprepared, he may not have died, but it would definitely have been painful and could have resulted in spending his first days at school in the infirmary.

Nordi closed his eyes again and focused on his Aura. As much as he sucked at Mind Arts, he was able to disguise his Magical affinity- in lack of better words- to hide his inner darkness inside his own mind. He could hold it like this only up to a few seconds, but it was more than enough to cross the ward unharmed.

Well, unharmed- but id definitely wasn't a pleasant experience. Comparable to an ice-cold shower.

Nordi was actually wondering who had erected such a disgusting ward around the school. Encountering it alone said a lot about what kind of people the higher-ups of Hogwarts were. They seemed to be full of prejudice , and not only against Dark Wizards and Witches, but also against the Dark Affinity itself.

Didn't they know that some people were simply born with such an affinity? If a nine-months-old Nordi tried to cross those wards, he would have died. Even despite being an innocent baby.

Nordi was a Natural Magic user and his Dark Affinity was in-born. He owed it being found and taken from a Muggle doorstep as an infant.  
Pondering upon this , Nordi reached a tall iron gate-an entrance to Hogwarts estate- and stopped there, waiting for the rest of the students to arrive. The group reached the place a few minutes later with some weird kind of carriages.

Cass, in his Slytherin robes, spotted Nordi immediately and ran up to him.

'Nordi, you dim-wit! You were supposed to arrive here with a boat!'

'With what?'

Cass stretched his arm out, indicating a huge lake.

'The first-year students make their way to the castle through the lake. It's kind of a local tradition.'

'Well, but I guess that wasting ten hours on a train ride is also a local tradition of theirs?'

The older boy laughed.

'You've got the point'.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later, Nordi was standing in a line between his fellow first-year students , waiting for the sorting Ceremony to begin.

The Great Hall was a spacious room with four long tables, filled with over thousand students from upper years. The ceiling was enchanted to resemble a night sky (actually a first thing at Hogwarts that Nordi could describe as cool.) The line made of the first years was faced towards Head Table for the faculty.

Nordi glanced over the teachers' faces. His eyes stopped for a split second at an old Wizard with long white beard and half-spectacles; Nordi cought a quick glimpse of his light blue eyes, and- something unexpected happened: his body was hit by a jolt of a sudden pain. Nordi winced, but managed not to let out a hiss and immediately broke the eye contact with the old Wizard. By the Dark Lord, what was that?

Nordi straightened up and looked around, not having comprehended what caused the pain. He caught a glimpse of another Wizard at the Head Table- a black-haired one, who seemed to have noticed the situation, eyeing both the old man and Nordi cautiously.

Suddenly , everybody's eyes focused on an old piece of rag that was placed on a wooden stool next to the Head Table- the so-called 'Sorting Hat'. It let out an odd sound resembling human-like 'clearing of the throat' and started singing.

Nordi found himself listening to the song in admiration. The hat- as for a thousand-years-old piece of rag-had a surprisingly clear and pleasant voice. The first part of the song was a story about Hogwarts and its four ancient Founders. If the Hat have restricted itself to this far in the song, it would have been perfectly fine. However, the next part made Nordi's heart sink.

_Oh know the perils, read the signs,_  
_The weaning history shows_  
_For our Hogwarts is in danger_  
_From external, deadly foes_  
_And we must unite inside her_  
_Or we crumble from within_  
_I have told you, I have warned you..._  
_Let the sorting now begin._

Nordi could feel his blood running cold. He stood with his head down, but rose it as a few heavy drops of sweat from his forehead fell on the floor.

He couldn't have misinterpreted the Sorting Hat's words. It was referring directly to him and his kind. The "external deadly foes" were the Death Eaters, and the song was basically a call to arms- the Hat was telling the students to unite and stand against them!

Nordi looked around at his yearmates; to his relief, the oblivious children didn't seem to have even understood the message in the song. The Exile sighed and clinged his thumbs by his heavy leather belt (which he had, obviously, refused to leave behind going to Hogwarts). By the Dark Lord's name, was this even possible to have a normal life at this school, being a Dark Wizard, and a Death Eater's protégé? Were the prejudice and hostility rooted in this place going to make his stay here unbearable?

An older-aged Witch, who introduced herself as Professor Mcgonagall, stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention.

'As I read a name from the list, said person comes forward, sits on the stool and puts the Sorting Hat on their head,' she said in a firm voice.

'Abercromble, Euan!'

A small shaking boy came up to the stool, sat down and put the Hat on.

'GRYFFINDOR!' the Hat yelled.

There was an applause from the Gryffindor table as Euan made his way towards it.

'Bonnie, Violet!'

A fair-haired girl became a Ravenclaw.

After 'Bristol, Connie' and 'Dimley, Auriga' were sorted into Huffelpuff, Professor Mcgonagall uttered:

'Exile, Nordi!'

The Dark Wizard braced himself and stumbled forward. However, when he made merely two steps and was just half-way through to the stool, the Hat yelled:

'SLYTHERIN!'

Nordi froze on the spot. Well, that was unexpected. He looked around just to find out that a thousand pairs of eyes of both students and teachers were focused at him. The boy shook his shock and looked at the Hat narrowing his eyes.

'Very well, as I didn't expect to be sorted elsewhere. However, I must say that I'm a little surprised; I haven't even touched you, yet alone put you on my head.'

The Hat let out a human-like snarl.

'Who do you want to fool around with, nasty boy? Me?' it asked in a very unpleasant voice. 'I could sense your disgusting Aura from miles away, as soon as you arrived in Hogsmeade. Tell me, boy, who had enough audacity to send you to Hogwarts? And more importantly, how did you get inside the school? HAVE THE ANCIENT WARDS FALLEN?!'

Nordi's blood ran cold again; of course the wards wouldn't have let him in if not for him being a Warding Master, being able to sense them and prepare himself. The boy's eyes were blazing with fire as he lifted them at the hat.

'Aren't you- filthy piece of rag- supposed to be unbiased? How come you even have a job of sorting students and deciding of their fate, if you hold prejudice about one certain kind?'

Nordi felt Mcgonagall's hand on his shoulder.

'Mr Exile, please join your housemates at the Slytherin table'.

That brought Nordi back to senses; he realized that he's drawing the entire Hall's attention and holding the Sorting Ceremony back.

'Yes, ma'am.' he muttered and headed towards the table. There was no applause; the students looked kind of freaked out. Nordi slipped between Cass and Iris, the latter scolded him immediately.

'I told you that it's going to end up like this. It's merely the first day and you already managed to focus the entire school attention on yourself! I have seen the Sorting Ceremony seven times and this is the first when someone talked back to the Sorting Hat!'

Nordi shrugged his shoulders.

'The damn piece of rag is biased.'

Iris rolled her eyes. 'Try to fit in, Nordi, otherwise you will end up in Azkaban before you know it'.

Nordi gave hear a meaningful look.

'Unlike _some people I know_, I'd rather end up in Azkaban than allow myself any second thoughts. '


	4. What Kind Of Eyes Did They See?

The next morning , Nordi arrived at the Transfiguration classroom along with fellow first-years. The Witch who held the Sorting Ceremony- Professor Mcgonagall- handed everyone a match and asked them to transfigure it into a needle.

At first, the boy thought that it was supposed to be some kind of joke, and gave the teacher a surprised look. However, he noticed that his classmates have taken the assignment seriously-what is more, they were actually _struggling_ to perform the transfiguration._ By the Dark Lord_...

Unimpressed, Nordi snapped his fingers turning his match into a needle. Mcgonagall stopped pacing around the classroom and stopped by the boy's back.

'Mr Exile, where is your wand? ' she asked, clearly stunned.

'I left it in the dorms, ma'am,' he answered honestly. 'I don't need it that often. I'm a Natural.'

Mcgonagall frowned, not seeming to believe him. She turned to the students sitting next to Nordi.

'Which one of you performed Mr Exile's transfiguration? He couldn't have done it wandlessly.'

The surprised first-years shook their heads; why would anyone help Nordi with his task if they couldn't even complete it themselves?

The young Exile stood up; it was the time to add a little bit of spice to this dull class.

'Ma'am, I didn't ask any of my classmates for help. Besides, I was also thinking...'

He stumbled forward from his desk and walked towards Mcgonagall's lectern. He walked slowly and gracefully, with swagger and confidence ('like a pure-blooded heir') and before the older Witch could stop him, he stretched his hand out towards the lectern-''_gather, focus, let it flow'_'- and turned it into a fairly-large pig.

The students burst into laughter, Mcgonagall, on the other hand, paled rapidly. Nordi grinned at his classmates.

'This is a female.' he said, petting the pig's head. 'I figured she could appreciate a company of some little piglets.'

Saying this, he lifted both his hands with outstretched fingers and let his Dark Magic flow freely. At instant, each of the student's desks in the classroom turned into a baby piglet. The kids jumped off their seats, screaming and laughing. Professor Mcgonagall was standing like a statue.

Nordi decided it was the time to stop.

'Petrificus Totalus' he uttered, focusing on the pigs.

All of the animals froze on the spot, the boy gathered his Magic again , forcing them to turn back into furniture.

'By the D- by Merlin, what a mess did I make...' Nordi sighed, seriously unimpressed by the desks and chairs lying around all over the classroom. He lifted his hand and levitated the furniture, putting them back into neat rows. He couldn't be bothered looking for the matches (obviously lost in action), so he simply conjured a bunch of new ones and handed them over to the students.

Mcgonagall was clearly unsure how to react. At this point she decided to go on with the class, however, she looked unnerved and uneasy.

Exile spent the remainings of the class watching the progress (or rather, lack of thereof) of his classmates. He couldn't help but notice the nervous glimpses the older Witch was giving him from time to time, apparently wondering what else he would come up with in his unpredictable behavior.

Nordi was getting more and more annoyed with the class. Was he really meant to be stuck for an entire year with a bunch of kids who were unable to perform such a basic transfiguration?

Whooah, the "entire year" was an understatement. The second year was probably only the next level up, and there was no proof that the older years were any better.

He had to think about an alternative. He was already stuck at Hogwarts; he wanted to make his stay as short and as bearable as possible. He decided to ask Mcgonagall about a possibility of graduating early. According to the Hogwarts letter, the Transfiguration Professor was also a Deputy Headmistress; as such, she might have some influence on the school politics.

Exile stayed after class, and that... freaked professor Mcgonagall out. The usually calm and composed Witch took a step back facing Nordi, her face and lips went very white.

_''What, By the Dark Lord ,is she thinking? That I have stayed after class to curse her?_'' the boy thought in confusion.

'Err, Professor, I'm sorry ... I didn't mean to scare you...'

_That look in her eyes_. A mixture of fear, disgust and hostility. Did Orion face the same eyes in his school days? Did each of the Death Eaters once had to face them?

Nordi decided that he may apologize for the mayhem during the class; after all, it wasn't exactly kind on his part to cause it. And he didn't need Mcgonagall hostility if he wanted to force through an early graduation.

'Ehmmm.. . I want to apologize about the commotion. That wasn't necessary.'

'I am glad we agree on this one, Mr Exile. Anything else?' Her voice was shockingly ice-cold. Nordi started doubting in the point of talking to her, but there was no harm trying.

'Uhm, yes. I want to take my NEWTs exams this summer.' he said bluntly.

The young Dark Wizard regretted not having a camera, because the look on the elder Witch's face was priceless.

'Excuse me?' she asked icily. 'You are just a freshman, Exile, and I have never heard such a ridiculous request. Besides, in case you have not noticed, I am not your Head of House.  
If you insist on your claim I suggest you talk to Professor Snape.'

The conversation was over; Mcgonagall took her register from the desk and stepped out.

_"By the Dark Lord, how much she must hate me."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nordi's mood was lifted as soon as he arrived in the dungeons for a Potions class. Entering the lab, he had an indescribable feeling of familiar Magic, tingling underneath his skin and making blood in his veins circulating faster. On instance, colors around him became brighter and sounds became crispier. The feeling was comparable with tuning-in of the Dark Lord's magic as he grew in power, although, on a much smaller scale.

The comfort he felt sensing a familiar Dark magic was all he needed after the foul Transfiguration class.

The source of comforting Aura entered the classroom.

Professor Snape was an intimidating person. He was a personification of all the traits Salazar Slytherin had valued. Besides, all about him was making the students cower. The way he held himself , the way he walked, the way he spoke. And, although for a person like Nordi his heavy Dark aura was comforting and beneficial, for those unfortunate ones with strong Light affinity, it could have been unbearable.

After checking the attendance list, Snape started asking the students some random basic questions in order to assess their current level. The class was shared with Gryffindors and-much to Snape's annoyance- none of the Lions managed a correct answer.

'Mr Abercrombie!'

The small boy jerked at Snape's voice.

'What I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?'

The Gryffindor looked at his feet.

'I don't know, sir.'

'Pity. Perhaps Mr Exile knows the answer?'

Nordi smiled, he was lucky to get such a cool question! Everybody knew about the Draught of Living Death (well, maybe except the poor Abercrombie) but Nordi actually used those two ingredients many times performing Warding Rituals and knew some other useful purposes for them .

'Sir, the most common and well-known Potion made of those ingredients is a strong sleeping Potion called the Draught of Living Death. However, root of asphodel and wormwood infusion also have a wide range of purposes in the field of Magical Rituals, either used separately or together, while the most popular Ritual where a brew of both those ingredients is being used is a Warding Blood Sacrificial Ritual called _Fornax Sanguis Scutum_ .  
While mixed with sacrificial blood, the brew become a catalyst that give the Ritual a boost. It creates a fairly powerful shield that can protect a certain space of object against all hexes and many low-level curses. Because it does not need any warding stones, it comes very handy while in combat. For example, shield created using Fornax Sanguis Scutum was used in the First Wizarding War during the battle for Ochil Hills, when the Dark Lord's forces...'

'That would be quite enough, Mr Exile.' Snape, who up to this point listened with a small smile, cut the boy off.

Nordi regretted not being able to finish, he could have told a really cool war story, as the Orchil Hills were actually defended by the regiment Orion was serving in. Oh well.

Snape rewarded Slytherin with 15 points for Nordi's '_extensive knowledge_' and asked him to stay after class.

Later, as the students were making their way towards the door, Nordi leaned against the wall and waited for them to leave. He found being asked to stay fortunate; Snape was his Head of House and he intended to bring up the topic of NEWTs with him. He felt that he will have much more luck with him than with Professor Mcgonagall.

As soon as the students left, Snape turned towards Nordi.

'So, Exile', he started, eyeing the boy carefully. 'I must admit that you have caught my attention yesterday during the Sorting Ceremony. Furthermore, you have caught attention of the entire school.'

Nordi blushed.

'Er... yes, sir, this crappy Hat...'

'...was right. Wasn't it?'

Nordi blinked. Well, to a certain degree, the Hat was right. It was right that Nordi shouldn't be at Hogwarts, and shouldn't even have been able to cross the wards. However, a visible hostility of the Hat against Slytherins and Dark Wizards was completely out of the place.

'Uhm, yes, sir, it was kinda right. But that were its stupid prejudice that unnerved me. That's why I spoke out .'

Nordi suddenly felt a tickle in his mind and automatically broke the eye contact with Snape. He was really stunned- the man's Magical Aura was comforting and friendly, the last thing he expected from him was a Legilimense attack!

'By the Dark Lord, Professor, what was that?!'

Snape hissed.

'Careful, Exile. You ought to wean yourself away from using such a phrase while in this school. And I am afraid you also need to wean yourself away from many other die-hard habits of yours. You must realize that you are not on a friendly territory here at Hogwarts.'

Nordi's eyes widened.

'Is it possible that you are...?'

Snape drew his wand and casted a silencing charm at the door.

'Exile, I have "earned" the enemy's trust and my cover is perfect. I cannot allow this all to be in vein because of this..._irresponsible_... behavior of yours.'

Nordi opened his mouth to reassure Snape and swear that he will never blow his cover up, but Snape spoke first.

'What was your specialization field back in the Orphanage?' he asked.

Well, that wasn't surprising. As a fellow Death Eater, Snape must have been familiar with Orion and the Exiles' Orphanage.

'Warding Rituals, sir.'

Snape smiled slightly.

'I should have figured that much out basing on today's class. Do you have an official Mastery in the field?'

'No, sir. I have only the interior title.'

'And whose _brilliant_ idea was to send you to Hogwarts?'

'It was Orion's, sir.'

'Eh...what a fool...'

'Believe me, Professor, I didn't want it. My plan was to rush into action as soon as I found out about _His_ return.'

Potions Master gave him a surprised look.

'However foolish was on Orion's part to send you here, I do not think you could have "_rushed into action_", like you called it, just yet.'

Nordi blushed crimson and looked at his feet.

'You also think that, sir? Orion, as well...He doesn't think I'm ready. But I'm desperate. So desperate...'

He lifted his head to look at Snape again. Grey eyes met black eyes; Nordi realized that he exposes himself to another Legilimense attack, but this time he trusted the Professor enough to allow him into his mind.

He saw a twinkle of understand in Snape's eyes.

'I can help you.' the Potions Master said slowly.

Nordi looked at him, stunned. Was Snape really willing to help him?

'Don't give me such a look, Exile. You are a Dark Wizard who has been sent to school ruled by a Lord of the Light. You were sent against your will, even if not forcefully. What is more, your excuse for a guardian did not even bother to give you any clues how you should be behaving on an enemy territory. If I will not take care of you, you will be tossed into Azkaban before the first Quidditch match. You do not realize that, but you can get into trouble even for your answer in today's class. Such a knowledge about the Darkest branch of Magic is not exactly common and is not exactly well looked-upon by the Ministry.'

Snape ended, giving surprised Nordi a pointing look.

'I will help you. You can make an excellent Death Eater, only you cannot get yourself Dementor-kissed for your recklessness.'

Nordi's eyes went watery. Snape's words were so meaningful and comforting. Nordi felt like speaking with a Father, whom he never had.

'Stop weeping, you are not a child. Tell me what you need to work on.'

Nordi blushed as Snape noticed tears in his eyes. But, unlike Orion, Snape has actually acknowledged that Nordi wasn't a child anymore!

'Professor, could you teach me Occlumency?' he asked quietly.

Snape nodded.

'I have noticed that you have issues with that.'

'I could never master the Mind Arts. I had nobody to teach me. Orion is too paranoid on this point to even think of using it. However, I'm desperate to learn to shield my mind properly.'

'What does your schedule look like, Exile?' Snape asked.

Nordi summoned wandlessly the piece of parchment with a timetable and handed it over to Snape.

'We shall meet each Saturday and Sunday before lunchtime' Snape decided.' We will practice Occlumency and in time, perhaps we can cover some other 'un-Hogwarts-like' branches of Magic. For instance you could show me some of the Blood Rituals you have mastered.'

Nordi grinned.

'That'd be great, sir.'

'Is there anything else you'd like to ask?'

'Umm, actually, yes, sir.' Nordi looked sheepishly, feeling uncomfortable with so many requests for Snape. 'I have tried asking Professor Mcgonagall about it this morning, and she redirected me to you. It's about the actual amount of time I'm going to spend here at Hogwarts. As you can tell, I want to make my stay here as short as possible; therefore, I was wondering about taking my NEWTs this summer, as I am positive that I'm perfectly capable of passing.'

Snape didn't even look surprised.

'I will discuss it with the Headmaster. Hogwarts has always been reluctant to let the students skip ahead, in your case however... I think it is more than understandable to make an exception. This request of yours is very sensible and mature, Exile; I promise to do anything I can to let you graduate this summer.'

'I don't even know how to thank you.'

'You don't have to. As you know, we take care of our own.'

Nordi gasped. _We take care of our own._

'As soon as I graduate, we will become comrades-in-arms.' he declared firmly.

'I do hope so.'

Nordi thanked Snape once again and headed toward the door.

'Oh, and Exile?' Snape stopped him.

'Take off this belt of yours and hide it somewhere.'


	5. She's a Traitor!

Although the Potions master wasn't able to arrange for Nordi an opportunity to sit his NEWTs this summer, he managed to set him for those exams the next year. Dumbledore has checked the school status for Snape and it came out that without passing at least three OWLs, it's not possible to approach the NEWTs. Therefore, Exile was placed with the fifth-year students in OWLs classes.

Being a Snape's protégé made his stay at Hogwarts much more bearable. The weekend extra classes turned out to be a blessing. They were the only classes where Nordi had an opportunity to learn anything new and useful (the fifth-year classes were up a few notches comparing with the first-years, but it was still a baby-level).

With Snape's understanding of Mind Arts and his simple explanations, Exile made a quick progress in Occlumency. As soon as he was able to shield his mind from Snape, they still sacrificed at least two hours each weekend for practicing, but they also moved on to another subjects. Nordi performed all the Blood Rituals he had ever mastered in front of Snape, and said Professor watched him with straight face, but a twinkle of thrill could be seen in his eyes. Also, the Potions Master turned out to be in possession of numerous useful books on the topic in his private library. They spent one of the weekends researching , and, having chosen a few most interesting Rituals from Snape's books, Nordi performed some experimental try-outs. It came out to be so fascinating that the boy lost a track of time. After he knew, it was already late in the evening.

As he made his way to the Dorms, he ran into Professor Mcgonagall (_By the Dark Lord, what is she doing in dungeons?_) . Said Professor, seeing Nordi walking with his blood-covered Sacrificial Dagger used during Rituals, in his hands, freaked out and assigned him a detention. She summoned a piece of parchment and wrote down his assignment (the boy was supposed to help Mr Filch clean up all the staircases the next morning). Imiddetaly after she left, Nordi headed back to Snape and showed him the piece of parchment with written detention.

Snape took the boy by the hand and led him to a small, dark room located at the end of the dungeon's main corridor. The room has once been used as a small potions lab for a two or three cauldrons only, but it has been abandoned for years. Severus gave Nordi a permission to use the room as a space to practice Rituals and other subjects not approved by the school. He absolutely forbade Nordi from walking around the castle with his Sacrificial Dagger. Soon, the boy relocated all of his 'not-so-well-looked-upon' belongings, such as his Death Eater's outfit and some books from the Orphanage, to the small room and erected strongest wards he could think of around it.

The room actually reminded him a great deal about his room back at home. Nordi asked Snape if he was allowed to conjure a small mattress for himself inside it and move in, leaving the Dorms. Snape didn't see any contraindications to it.

Not having to deal with the noisy and crowded common room anymore was great. And as much as the Slytherin Dorms were well-equipped and comfortable, having an own room to sleep and study was just incomparably better. The young Dark Wizard dropped by the Dorms one last time to grab his trunk and the remainings of his belongings,. The first-year boys (although Nordi was having classes with the fifth-years, he still shared Dorms with firsties) reacted oddly to the news of him moving out. They seemed almost relieved, as if Nordi was a _persona non grata_. Well, most of the Hogwarts students were, if not openly hostile, at least reserved and uptight dealing with him. Nordi knew better than to care.

By the next weekend, Exile and Snape decided to practice combat, starting from heaving a mock duel. Beforehand, Nordi put up the strongest Protective Wards he knew around the classroom , preventing anyone from entering, as well as Glamours to keep the other teachers from sensing an outbreak of Dark Magic that was about to happen. Snape meanwhile casted plenty of silencing charms and levitated the desks, chairs and cauldrons to the side.

Professor and student stood facing each other. Snape drew his wand, and Nordi, as a Natural, focused his Magic in his, sweaty from excitement, palms.  
As soon as they started, Snape bombarded Nordi with a series of non-verbal curses. Green and blue lightening met the boy's shield, conjured from his outstretched fingers. The power of Snape's magic was so great, that it cost Exile a lot of physical strength to keep his shield up. By the Dark Lord, Snape was a good dueler. Keeping the protection up, the boy answered by a simple jelly-legs jinx, followed by a strong cutting curse. If the combination hit Snape, it would have ended the duel, but Severus could shield himself not any worse than Nordi. The younger Wizard was yet again treated with a combination of non-verbal spells, and it took a lot more effort to rebound them this time. He decided not to let Snape attack him anymore, and resorted to Fiendfyre. The Cursed Flames created by Exile soon took over the classroom, but the boy controlled them well enough not to let them burn any furniture or harm Snape. Nevertheless, said Professor was surrounded by flames he couldn't put down, unable to make his next move.

'Enough, Exile.'

Nordi snapped his fingers, putting the fire down.

'By the Dark Lord, Professor...' Nordi started in an excited voice, wanting to express how awesome the duel was.

'What have I told you about using this phrase?'

'But there's only two of us and you've casted _silencio_ all over the room!'

Snape have him a stern look. Nordi blushed.

'Sorry, sir.'

'That's better. The point is that using such a phrase as a habit, you are prone to slip it accidently in front of other teachers. It is the same story as with your Sacrificial Dagger an leather belt, which, much to my content, you keep now hidden under wards.'

'We are on the enemy territory.' Nordi recited Snape's favorite phrase.

'Exactly.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nordi tried to bring up with Snape the topic of attending the standard curriculum classes. He pointed out the meaninglessness of it, and asked about a possibility of an alternative- such as self-study known from the other schools. Snape however informed him about attending classes being compulsory, and the boy had no other option than to obediently sit on the lessons with other fifth-year students.

There was, however, one exception- Snape excused Nordi from attending Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. That however wasn't on Exile's request- the professor himself didn't want his protégé to show up for those classes. Severus explained him that Defense this year is thought by some horrible Witch named Dolores Umbridge, a Minister's of Magic side-kick. Snape was sure that if Nordi drew her attention- which was most likely to happen- he will have trouble not only within the school, but also with the Ministry. The Potions Master took it as his duty shield Nordi from Professor Umbridge and personally arranged with Dumbledore to let him be excused from her classes.

Weeks at Hogwarts passed very quickly. With a perspective of thrilling, useful classes each weekend, it was much easier to endure baby-level classes throughout the week. Exile soon found himself lucky for being excused from DADA, as the whole school complained how horrible of a teacher Umbridge was.

Before Nordi knew it, time for OWLs came. On the first day of the exams, in the morning, Nordi found himself very amused by his fellow fifth-years walking around stressed and anxious, trying to revise the material last-minute. Nordi snorted at them and pulled out his Naga Runes compendium he borrowed from Snape (said Runes weren't, obviously, in the OWLs curriculum, but Exile couldn't be bothered to go through those baby-level textbooks again).

OWLs lasted five days, each day two exams took place- a written one in the morning and a practical one in the afternoon. Although Nordi could clearly seen how the exams affected his schoolmates, the boy's reaction to them was a polar opposite. Never before was the Exile-the hyper-active kid that he was- so calm and composed as during OWLs. He took it as a simple counter-reaction of his mind against omnipresent tension and anxiety.

Each day that week, he sat in the Great Hall - the only eleven-year-old amongst a few dozens fifteen-year-olds- on a written exam. He was done usually an hour or more than everybody, handed his piece of parchment to professor Flitwick, and walked through the Hall passing by his older colleagues, with dignity and swagger, like a pure-blooded Wizard should walk. Then he usually headed to the dungeons and if Snape didn't have classes at the time, Nordi helped him out in the labs, and they headed to the lunch together. After the meal, the practical exams took place- a time for Nordi to show-off a little bit- and at the end of the week he was positive of having scored a maximal grade for each Practical.

As the summer was approaching, Nordi was getting more and more excited. He had received a message from Orion- his guardian was requested to relocate to the new Death Eaters' Headquarters, as they were in need of a Master Healer on a duty there. The position, according to Orion, was up to this point occupied by Master Healer Narcissa Malfoy, but now for some time, she was unavailable for some reason.

Orion, as he made clear in his letter, was reluctant to leave the Orphanage and move out to the Headquarters _(by the Dark Lord, what a moron_!) but having received a direct order he could not refuse. Irisviel Exile, who was about to graduate from Hogwarts, was appointed as Orion second-in-command and was supposed to take over the Orphanage after Orion's departure.

Death Eaters' Headquarters! Nordi was so excited after receiving the letter, that he immediately rushed to Professor Snape and handed it over for the man to read. He always shared with Severus every piece of information he ever received and found relevant. After reading the message, Snape was unimpressed.

'Your excuse for a guardian should really watch out what information he passes on via mail.'

'He didn't include any names or places, sir; he is being cautious.'

'If you call this _cautious_, then I finally know why do you always act the way you do.'

Nordi grinned.

'Besides,' Snape went on looking at the piece of parchment. 'He should also express a little more enthusiasm and gratitude for being invited to the HQ.'

'That's what I was thinking, sir. I would die, to be allowed to go there. However, Orion isn't an enthusiastic person. The traumatic past of his left him bitter and reserved, and suffering from compulsive second thoughts.'

'Traumatic past?'

Nordi blinked; didn't Snape know? If Orion's never spoke to Severus about this, should Nordi speak? He decided affirmative, because he had sworn to himself always being honest with the Potions Master- his only ally at Hogwarts.

'Orion was abandoned and disowned like the rest of us, sir, but unlike anyone else, he had also his mind being tampered with in his early childhood. He doesn't have memories from the first four years of his life. His family had obliviated him before getting rid of him. '

Snape's eyes darkened. That was to be expected, as everyone always got outraged after hearing Orion's story. Abandoning a child and depriving it of its heritage was one thing; using Obliviate on a four-year-old was a whole another level of abuse. Strong Mind Magic left a huge imprint even on a fully-grown adult, yet alone a small child.

'I have done some research about some specific Rituals that might be helpful restoring lost memories, but I was unsuccessful.' Nordi added. 'I hope to find a way to help Orion one day.'

Snape looked at the boy.

'Sir, do you think I can go to the Headquarters this summer, I mean Orion'll be there, and he is after all my legal guardian, so maybe...' Nordi started, bringing up the previous topic.

'Exile, don't get too excited. I know how much that means to you , and I can understand you. I was exactly equally eager at your age. However if you are not allowed in the HQ just yet, you are not to make a tragedy of this. Learn patience.'

That was something Nordi called a "Snape-like speech". Snape was... well, Snape. And Nordi was absolutely fond of his mentor for being himself. However, this time, he really hoped that Professor was wrong. He had to get to the Headquarters this summer!

However, morning of the day of departure from Hogwarts left the boy broken an miserable. His summer plans have been ruined.

During breakfast in the Great Hall, owls arrived with mail as usual. Nordi got a letter. He recognized Orion's handwriting on the envelope and eagerly rolled it out to read it.

'By the Dark Lord!' He exclaimed, jumping off his seat. He realized what has he said and looked around worriedly; luckily , the breakfast commotion prevented anyone from paying attention to him. Outraged, the boy made his way up to the Head Table, where Professor Snape was sitting.

'Professor...' Nordi started, squeezing the piece of parchment in his hand. Snape looked at him, and-much to the boy's horror- so did Dumbledore, who was having breakfast a couple of seat further.

Nordi found himself standing so close to the headmaster for the first time; now Dumbledore looked him straight in the eyes. Exile felt a sudden outrush of pain all over his body. He had to clench his teeth not to cry out. That must have been the Light Lord's Magical Aura, which turned out to be unbearable for the boy. He assumed earlier that encounters with the Light Lord aren't to be pleasant, but he has never thought it would be this bad. Did Snape experience the same thing?

Nordi felt tears appearing in his eyes and drops of sweat making their way from his forehead towards his chin. Snape instantly seemed to realize what was going on , and quickly stood up to take his pupil away from the old coot. However, said old coot decided to have a chat with Nordi.

'Good morning, young Mr Exile. Ever since you've came to Hogwarts I have intended to talk to you; after all, you are a youngest person to be taking OWLs in centuries.'  
Nordi looked in the Headmaster's eyes; the old Wizard clearly realized how much pain he is causing the boy; nevertheless, he spoke in casual and calm voice.

'How did your exams go, my boy?'

Nordi clenched his fists, and overcoming the immense pain, he uttered:

'They went good, sir.'

'Mr Exile has volunteered to help me cleaning up the labs before departure, Albus' Snape said. 'Let's go, Exile.'  
walking through the Great Hall the pain diminished, but Snape pulled out a vial of Potion of his pocked and handed it to the boy.

'Drink.' he ordered shortly.

Nordi obeyed and instantly felt a great relief.

As soon as they arrived in the dungeons and casted some silencing charms, Nordi asked:

'That was his Aura, wasn't it, sir?'

'Yes, it was.'

'Sir...'

Snape looked at his pupil.

'How does his presence... affect you?'

'It affects me exactly the same way it affected you.'

Nordi gasped. Snape had to be around Dumbledore all of the time, as he was playing his spy! How much pain did this man have to endure...? He looked in his Professor eyes with awe and shock, when Snape reminded him:

'But that's not why you have approached me in the Hall?'

Oh yes, Orion's message. Nordi handed the piece of parchment to Severus.

Snape read with a concerned face. In his letter, Orion claimed that Irisviel had disappeared. She was supposed to turn up at the Orphanage early in the morning, not waiting for other students' departure, because Orion was requested to arrive at the Headquarters before noon. And although Iris indeed turned up at home at the established time, she turned up only to collect her belongings and leave. She told Orion that she "couldn't take it anymore" and disapparated away before Orion had a chance to reply. Now, Orion was asking Nordi for help- he was supposed to be at the HQ before 12 and yet he had nobody to leave the children with. Nordi was asked to turn up at the Orphanage by 11:30, and take charge, becoming Orion's second-in-command.

Snape looked very surprised, if not stunned.

'Irisviel Exile...? The brilliant girl with straight "O's" ?' he asked.

'She might have been brilliant' Nordi said bitterly. 'But she is nothing but a deserter.'

'Where did she disapparate from? Hogsmeade Train Station?'

'She was supposed to.'

'Do you have any idea where could she go after speaking to Orion?'

'No idea, sir. Her family abandoned her when she was two. She had nowhere to go. But...'

'But?' Snape encouraged him to go on.

'I always had doubts about where does her loyalty lay. I could have done something earlier.'

'Don't be ridiculous. How can you blame yourself? Come with me.'

They headed towards the Slytherin Common Room. Nordi hasn't been there since he received his own room. Plenty of students were crowding there, carrying their trunks around. Snape and Nordi came by to a group of seventh-years - Irisviel's classmates.

'I know that your holidays start today, but I have a question for you.' Snape said , 'Irisviel Exile. What do you know about her disappearance? '

The seventeen-year-olds looked silently at each other. They certainly knew something.

A tall, muscular boy stepped forward. His Aura was almost as strong and familiar as Snape's.

'Irisviel is a traitor, sir.' he said firmly.

'We figured that much out. We want to know where did she go. Did she confess her plans to any of you?'

The tall boy looked around cautiously.

'Professor, could we talk in private?'

'Certainly.'

The three of them made their way to the Snape's office. The boy spoke:

'She didn't say where she wants to go, sir. However, shortly before our NEWTs, she started falling apart. She started ridiculing our will to fight. She was talking nonsense about not being cut out for all of this. She started talking... things that outraged me, making we want to "crucio" her if we weren't at school. Finally, she told us that she won't be a part of raising a new generation of Dark Wizards. I assumed that she was referring to taking charge of your Orphanage.' The boy looked down at Nordi.

Exile's cheeks were burning.

'By the Dark Lord I'll kill her.' he hissed.

Snape put a hand on his shoulder.

'What time is it, Professor?' he asked. Snape drew his wand.

'Tempus' he whispered. 10:30.

'What are you going to do, Exile?' the older boy asked.

'I have no choice.' Nordi answered. 'I'll take charge of the Orphanage.'


	6. We Take Care Of Our Own

All things given, the summer wasn't exactly like Nordi had imagined. Taking care of the welfare and education of 24 magical children wasn't exactly an easy task for an eleven-year-old, even if said eleven-year-old was a powerful Dark Wizard. Fortunately, Cass offered him a helpful hand, which Nordi gratefully accepted.

The best thing about this situation was that those kids were, in majority, genuinely fond of Nordi. When the group of BLT found out that the boy is going to be replacing Orion for the summertime, kids were jumping and yelling with joy. They knew that Nordi was much more laid-back of a teacher than Orion was, what is more- he never hesitated to teach them the most dangerous, effective and cool curses and spells. Nordi had an ambitions to improve the group's general educational level in those two months he was given.

Orion allowed Nordi to apparate to the Headquarters to meet him and report about the kids' progress and well- being once in a while. However, he never let the boy inside of the Malfoy Manor or even inside of the estate. He always talked to him by the gate outside.

Sometimes, Nordi was running errands for Orion. As the older Exile was on duty, he couldn't have left the HQ whenever he pleased. Therefore, a few times Nordi was asked to bring him some supplies from the Knocturn's pharmacy, or some other store, or whatever Orion needed from the Orphanage. Nordi was doing it gladly, as he felt that this way he was helping the Death Eaters' cause somehow- even if it was just running simple errands.

As the summer was about to end, Nordi went to Orion to brag about his OWLs results (straight "O's"), and to remind him to look for a person who could take charge of the

'Somebody has already volunteered.' Orion replied.

'Who? Those kids are precious; we cannot live them to just anyone.'

'Cyrilla Dangan.'

'Alliegences and Blood Status?'

Orion frowned and gave Nordi an unimpressed look.

'Is that so relevant in your opinion?'

'Yes, it is.'

'She is a sister-in-law of Septimus Nott from the Inner Circle.'

'Well, ok, that will suffice.'

Orion rolled his eyes.

'Go to the kids. Make sure they eat their dinner. I don't want anybody to fade away when you're in charge.'

Nordi shot him an annoyed look and dispparated back.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On September first, Nordi left the children with Cyrilla- a middle-aged woman with a friendly face. He apparated in Hogsmeade with a shrunken trunk in his pocket, just like the previous year. This time however, he didn't intend on waiting for his schoolmates; he made his way alone up the hill, enduring a little bit of pain while crossing the wards, and opened the huge gate with a wandless spell.

Once in the castle, he immediately slipped down to the dungeons. He entered his room, tossed his trunk on the mattress and took out his Ritual Dagger. He sliced his wrist - judging by the amount of blood, hitting an artery- and quickly drew the Ritual Circles on the ground, muttering the incantaions. He put back up all the wards he had to lift for the summer. Only when the room was warded, he felt comfortable to heave all his stuff there. He made his way upstairs towards the Great Hall.

He made it just in time- the rest of the students have just stepped inside the castle.

Commotion, Sorting Ceremony, Welcoming Feast. Nordi had been missing Snape during the summer and was more than happy to see him again. When he met his mentor's eyes, he grinned widely, and Snape answered with a small smile.

As the Feast was over, Dumbledore stood up to hold his speech. Nordi flinched and looked on the floor to avoid any kind of eye contact with the Headmaster.

'...Professor Snape meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defense against the Dark Arts teacher.'

Nordi only after a few seconds comprehended what has been just said. Snape was going to teach Defense? Well, Exile was sure that he will do an excellent job; Severus was a great dueler and a War veteran. However there won't ever be as great Potions teacher as Snape was.

'Professor Snape, please, come up forward and show yourself to the students.'

Nordi jerked. _Dumbledore was forcing Snape to come closer to him_. Snape stood up and took a few steps forward, although keeping a distance from the old man.

'Don't be shy, Professor. I am sure that the students would gladly see their new Defense teacher.'

Nordi clenched his teeth in speechless fury, when Snape was forced to stand side-by-side Dumbledore at the lectern. He could see small drops of sweat on Professor's forehead- signs of pain he had to endure, being so close to the Light Lord's repelling Aura.

Then, Dumbledore did something unbelievably cruel.

'Please everybody, applause for Professor Snape !' he said, grabbing the dark-haired man by his left forearm and lifting it up. To a random person, it could have looked like a triumphant gesture, but Nordi knew it was basically the worst torture possible.

The Dark Mark caused its owner a burning pain if touched by a anyone other than a fellow Death Eater; Exile couldn't even imagine the amount of suffering it had to cause being touched by a Light Lord.

The students clapped reluctantly; the Headmaster didn't let go of Snape, whose face was getting paler by each second. Infuriated, Nordi jumped off his seat. Dumbledore looked him in the eyes, causing an outrush of pain.

'LET HIM GO!' Nordi yelled, looking at him with hatred.

Eyes of a thousand people focused on the boy. The old man finally let go of Snape's arm, and shot Nordi a look from above his half-spectacles.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the Feast was over and everybody made their way to the Dorms, Nordi put his head down and headed to the dungeons, not wanting to face anyone. He was furious on Dumbledore, but also slightly unnerved by the fact that he's just drew everybody's attention to himself- again.

As soon as he entered his room and sat on his mattress, he heard knocking at his door. Nordi frowned; are the damned Gryffindors pulling pranks again?

'Don't even try, the wards are up!' Exile yelled.

'It's me.'

'Professor Snape! I'm sorry, please come in!'

Snape, who was keyed into the wards, entered the room and looked down on his student.

'That was very noble of you, Exile, but concerning that you have drawn the entire school's attention to both of us...'

'By the Dark Lord, Professor, this damned bastard did this on purpose !'

'I know.' Snape said slowly.

'Why do you let him...? He was torturing you in front of the entire school!'

'Because I have to keep up appearances, Exile. I have explained it to you before. We are on the enemy territory.'

The boy clenched his teeth.

'Appearances or not, Professor, I swear by the Dark Lord, if this bastard lays a finger on you ever again, he will die a painful, horrific death by my hand.'

Snape gave him a small smile.

'Exile, if the Sorting Hat had based its decision last year on your personality rather than your Magical affinity, you would have became a Gryffindor.'

Nordi blushed instantly; that was not a nice thing to hear.

'I would have killed myself.' he muttered.

'If you did, our side would have lost an excellent soldier.'

Nordi gave Snape a grateful smile.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The school days this year weren't much different from the previous one. Nordi joined the seventh year student at the NEWT level classes. He expected the lessons to be somewhat more challenging than the OWL level ones, but he was let down.

One of the major changes this year was a reduced schedule- the only classes Nordi was taking were Potions, DADA, Charms, Transfiguration and Herbology, plus the extra weekend classes he had with Snape.

Defense taught by the Potions Master turned out to be the best subject from the standard set. Despite the fact that he was bound to follow a baby-level curriculum, Snape managed to make the classes exciting and useful. During practical classes, Nordi was frequently working as his assistant.

Apart from the school business, Exile kept on sneaking out to the Headquarters' exterior. He started using an abandoned underground passage leading to the Forbidden Forest. The tunnel's exit was not far away from ward's boundaries where he could safely apparate. Each time he met Orion at the gate, he begged him to let him inside. As much as unsuccessful he was the first few times, his desire came true somewhat later.

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Now, standing in front of Bellatrix in the training Hall, he couldn't believe his own luck. He was spotted by her outside the Manor by accident. If not for that, he would never have been able to meet her, and the other Death Eaters.

'Let's begin, Nordi-boy!' Bella smiled at him and bowed. Nordi bowed back and waited for him to start.

'CONFRINGO! STUPEFY! SPESUBIMORTUM!' she yelled and three blazing threads shot out of her wand.

A combination of three offensive spells, the last being the most powerful and most Dark. Nordi was barely able to produce a strong enough shield , and immediately when it absorbed the hexes, he let out a powerful, non-verbal curse from his outstretched fingers. This one was a variation of a Cutting Curse and looked fairly intimidating , appearing as five, fiery silver threads coming out of his fingers.

'PROTEGO!' yelled Bella, visibly surprised.

Her shield failed her, as it wasn't strong enough to endure. She collapsed on the floor.

'INCARCEROUS!' Nordi yelled.

The girl's body has been tied up with invisible Magical ropes. She let out a laugh. Nordi laughed also; he was happy not as much about victory as about an opportunity to duel Bella itself.

'Finite Incantatem.' he whispered, waving his hand upon Bella. he offered her a hand to stand up.

Nordi noticed three stunned men looking at them- Rudoph, Rookwood ,and Nott. Probably, Bella defeated in a duel wasn't a frequent sight.

'Who's going next?' Bella asked. 'Who wants to duel the Victorious Boy?'

Her husband climbed up on the platform.

'Why not? It seems like fun. The last time I had a decent dueling partner was years ago.'

Nordi grinned as they bowed to each other.

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Nordi spent the entire weekend in the Malfoy Manor. After staying up all night and dueling, he was exhausted and slept soundly over the entire Saturday. When he finally woke up, Bella started making a fuss over how skinny and malnourished he looked. she ordered the house- elves to make a nutritious meal for him. As Nordi usually survived on a fizzy, sweet variation of the Pepper-up Potion and was a serial meal-skipper, Bella had to almost force-feed him. She sat upon him until he has cleared his plate. Despite the stomachache afterwards, Bella's maternal feelings towards him, were incredibly wonderful.

Having eaten, Nordi was shown Lord Malfoy's library, which was almost at the size of the one at Hogwarts .Of course, with much more interesting contents. As Lord Malfoy wasn't home at the time, Nordi was unsure if it was ok to use his library during his absence, but Bella claimed that Lucius agreed to make his library available to all residents of the Manor. Nordi was allowed to spend time there, and he completely lost the track of it, surrounding himself with books about Blood Rituals. He was stunned when Orion came by to tell him that it was Sunday, 7 p.m.

'By the Dark Lord!' Nordi exclaimed, jumping on his feet. He collected the books, put them on adequate places and rushed to Bella to say his goodbyes, and thank her again. The female Death Eater embraced him, like a Mother would.

'Am I allowed to come along again?' he asked sheepishly.

'And what did you think, Nordi-boy? Besides, Rudolph will want a rematch for yesterday's duel after having his ass kicked.'

Exile grinned and disapparated to the Forrest.

It was 7:30 when Nordi entered the dungeons by his secret passageway's trap-door. He made his way towards his room when he encountered Snape.

'_'By the Dark Lord, I have totally forgotten to let him know that I won't be attending extra classes this weekend_!'' he thought, angry with himself. Well, weekend at the Malfoy Manor was a spontaneous idea.

Snape was obviously mad at him.

'Where... have...you...been?' he hissed, emphasizing each word.

Nordi looked at him sheepishly.

'At the Headquarters.'

Suddenly he felt an familiar outrush of pain, and, judging by Snape's expression, he felt the same. They both hissed when the Headmaster appeared out of nowhere.

'Ah, Severus. I see that your student is finally back.' the Light Wizard said cheerfully. 'What a relief; I must admit I was worried. Mr Exile, in those unrest times we live in, it is not safe to leave the school grounds for such a long time and without anyone's permission. Now, when you are back, safe and sound, I would like to have a little talk with you. I expect you tomorrow after breakfast in my office.'

Snape stepped forward between Dumbledore and his protégé.

'Albus, I am his Head of House. Leave assigning him a punishment to me. There is no need...'

'There is a need, Severus, believe me. I only want to have a nice conversation with the young Exile here. Tomorrow after breakfast-' he reminded, and turned back, heading upstairs.

Snape turned a pale face to Nordi.

'Exile, I could not... but you do not have to... we can find an excuse...'

Nordi's eyes were blazing with fire. He shook his head.

'There is no need, sir. I will go to the old coot.'

Snape's eyes widened.

'Exile...'

'It's okay. We won't give him the satisfaction. And besides, by the Dark Lord, I am not afraid of him.'

Snape looked unsure how to respond; he didn't want to expose Nordi to Dumbledore, but at this point there was no much he could do. He just pointed at the staircase where Dumbledore disappeared.

'The Wards Detectors can show him who leaves the school grounds. He came looking at you yesterday morning. I gave him the idea that you might have been called to the Orphanage as an emergency.'

'Thank you. Thank you for always shielding me.'

'No need to thank._ We take care of our own_.'


	7. Restoring The Ring

Next morning, Nordi waited for Dumbledore by a Gargoyle statue - the passage to his office. Said Headmaster appeared after a while.

'Oh there you are already, my boy._ Ice mice_.' he said to the Gargoyle, who stepped aside.

Nordi raised his eyebrows, "_Ice mice_'' was one hell of a password.

They stepped inside a circular room. If Nordi wasn't so focused on overcoming immense pain in his entire body, caused by an overwhelming, blinding Light Aura, he might have found this room interesting.

'Sit down, my boy. Lemon drop?'

Nordi managed to remain a straight face.

'No, thank you, sir' he answered silently.

Nordi sad down and tried to stabilize his breathing. He put up strongest Occlumency shields he could create around his mind. However, fighting with the pain weakened him, and he wasn't able to raise as strong shields as he wished. He could only hope that the ones he had would suffice.

'I would like to have a serious conversation with you today, Mr Exile. Look at me, please.'

Nordi rose his eyes at Dumbledore's light blue ones. It felt like white-hot iron making its way through the boy's skull. He clenched his teeth not to scream.

However, Dumbledore failed to get into Nordi's mind. Exile's shields withheld his attempt. It was only pain the old man was causing, but his invasion on Nordi's consciousness was unsuccessful.

The old Wizard rose his eyebrows with surprise. Nordi , overcoming the pain, gave him a satisfied look.

'Alright, Mr Exile' Dumbledore lost his soft, grandfatherly tone. 'Do you mind explaining where have you been the entire weekend?'

'I was ... at ...the Orphanage..._sir_.' Nordi uttered emphasizing words.

Dumbledore looked unconvinced.

'And may I know what had happened, that you were so urgently needed at the Orphanage?'

The pain made Nordi sweat heavily. He wiped his soaking forehead.

'Orion got sick..._sir_.' he hissed.

'I see.'

Dumbledore obviously didn't believe him , but he also had no proof that the boy was lying.

'It is indeed noble of you , to help looking after young children. It is also quite uncommon for a person your age to be able to apparate.'

Exile was so amused by this silly statement, that his pain diminished for a while.

'Of course I can apparate.._.sir_. After all, I am hopefully graduating this summer.'

Dumbledore, being a Mind Arts Master, seemed to be able consciously manipulating the intensivity and range of his Light Aura. Nordi felt its sudden onrush, and his pain intensified so greatly within a split second, that Nordi hissed and cowered.

'Anyway, my boy, I must let you know that I will not tolerate sneaking out from the castle like this, without letting any of the teachers know. It is against the school status, and, therefore, you must face consequences. I'm assigning you a detention.'

_'Hopefully not with you_' Nordi thought, feeling tears in his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt something was off. His body and mind were so numb from the pain that it was difficult to recognize, but something around Dumbledore radiated a familiar Aura. Like a Dark taint on an overwhelmingly bright Light. It was not very strong, but strong enough to soothe his suffering to a small degree.

Nordi eyed cautiously the Headmaster as he was writing down his detention on a piece of parchment. He spotted it. Dumbledore's right hand! How come he never had noticed this? The skin on the light Wizard's fingers was stained almost black; it actually looked like skin of a dead man. And a square ring on the Headmaster's middle finger was the source of the familiar Aura. He could feel not only Dark Magic radiating from the ring, but also a Magical Signature, like if it was a separate being.

The ring definitely didn't belong to Dumbledore. It must have been a property of a Dark Wizard. What is more, it seemed to have turned the old coot's hand into a mess. Why did he even decide to wear a Dark Artifact on his finger? Nordi had an idea about this ring...

'Uhhh...' Nordi groaned and cowered in pain again. Dumbledore- presumably having spotted his interest in the ring- stopped writing and looked at him from above his glasses.

'By the Dark Lord...' Nordi whispered, biting his lower lip until it bled.

'What have you said, my dear boy?'

'Nothing, _sir_.' Nordi replied on his last strength.

'Very well. Take this piece of parchment; I enclosed there time and details of your detention. You may go.'

Nordi squeezed the parchment into his pocket. He stood up on shaking knees, and made his way out, staggering.

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POV: Severus Snape

Severus was pacing around his classroom, having dismissed a group of fourth-years Ravenclaws. It was already an hour since the boy went to Dumbledore. It seemed that the old coot was enjoying torturing him, as much as he enjoyed torturing Snape.

Dumbledore was a manipulative, calculated and ruthless man with a face of a friendly Grandfather. Being a Light Lord with an incredible amount of power, the Magical Aura surrounding him and controlled by him had an extraordinary power as well. It could comfort and soothe those of his kind, with a Light affinity. It could also intimidate, and- like in Snape's case- unbelievably hurt, those from the opposite 'team'. Of course, the old wizard was perfectly capable of controlling his own Aura. As a Mind Arts Master, it was easy for him to hold his overwhelming Light Magic within his own consciousness. If he wished, he could have a perfectly civilized conversation with any Dark Wizard, not even causing discomfort to the latter.

However, the key was-_if he wished_. But he did not.

The pain caused by a hostile, powerful Magical Aura -additionally from a man who was able to control it- was the worst kind of pain Snape knew.

Snape swore to himself to protect the boy. Yet, he let him down.

He had managed to shield Nordi Exile over the entire previous year. The day he decided to take care of him, he knew that keeping him away from the old Wizard could be most difficult.

Dumbledore hated Dark Magic and Dark Wizards equally. Because of his extreme outlook on this case, he definitely won't hesitate to hurt the boy.

Snape stopped pacing feeling a return of a familiar Magical presence in the dungeons. The boy was back. Snape had to check on him.

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POV: Nordi Exile

As soon as Nordi reached a boy's bathroom in the dungeons, his shaking knees failed him. He collapsed on the floor, trembling like in a severe fever. He crawled up to the toilet and threw up. Running his fingers through his hair, he could feel them being so wet of sweat like if someone had poured a bucket of water over him.

The boy heard someone stepping in the bathroom. He made an attempt to lock himself in the cabin, but he threw up again instead.

'By the Dark Lord, Exile...' he heard a soft whisper. Snape was kneeling by his side; judging by his facial expression, Nordi didn't look too good.

'Easy, Exile. it's alright. It's all over...' the Professor whispered and started muttering incantations upon the boy. Nordi recognized one of them as a Warming Charm; he stopped trembling and his skin and clothes went dry.

'Did he get past your shields, Exile?' Snape asked quietly.

'No, sir.'

Snape nodded with acknowledgment, still muttering soothing incantations. Then, he pulled out a vial and lifted Exile's head slightly, placing the vial by his mouth.

'Boosting Potion' Severus explained. 'Drink.'

As soon as Nordi chugged the potion, he immediately felt much better. Snape still held his head and Nordi looked at him with an endless gratitude. Suddenly, he reminded himself- they had to quickly do something about the ring!

'Sir, the ring... The old coot's ring... We have to... take it from him...'

'Wh... Ring?' Severus looked surprised at first, but then understanding appeared in his eyes.

'Exile, are you able to stand up?'

'Yes, sir, I guess so.'

'We are going to my office. Bathroom is not a place to talk.'

As soon as they found themselves in the office, Nordi started explaining.

'Sir, have you seen the ring Headmaster is wearing on his right hand? And the curse, that turned his fingers black?'

Much to Nordi's surprise, Snape nodded calmly. If he did notice it, why hasn't he done anything about it? Did Snape even realize what of an Artifact they were speaking of?

'Sir, but... do you know what that ring really is? It cannot stay within the presence of the old coot.'

Snape rose his eyebrows.

'And do_ you_ know what that ring is?'

Nordi nodded.

'I cannot be certain, but judging by the fact that I have felt not only traces of Dark Aura around it, but also a clear Magical Signature, this is an Artifact that holds its owner soul inside it. It can hold either a soul of a Magical Dark creature, or a piece of a soul of a Wizard. Therefore, it can be either a Tectumqus or a Horcrux.'

Snape's eyes widened- probably , as Nordi had assumed, he didn't realize what a powerful Magical object Dumbledore was toying with.

'Exile...where...on Earth... did you learn about such things?' he uttered in shock.

Nordi frowned; was that even relevant? They had to hurry up and take the ring from the old coot. The fact that the bastard was walking around with a property of a Dark Wizard on his hand was disgusting to think about!

'I have read so much about Rituals used to create a Tectumqus and a Horcrux, that I'm positive I could even create one myself' he explained. 'If you are interested in those rituals, sir, I'll be glad to tell you all I know some other time, but now we must take the ring away from the old coot.'

Snape frowned.

'What exactly are you planning to do?'

'Sir, this ring isn't Headmaster's property, it belongs to a person with a strong Dark affinity, and I'm not going to let the old bastard walking around the castle with it. If I take it from him, it won't even be stealing, because it was Dumbledore who stole it first.'

'Exile...' Snape looked at the boy with a worried face. He paused and gasped.

'You shouldn't expose yourself to the Headmaster like this' he said finally. 'I'm willing to protect you against him to the best of my abilities, but there is not much I can do, If you are choosing to fight him openly. You are merely giving him an excuse to abuse you. Will you ever forget what has he done to you today?'

'Never, sir. And that is why I will fight him.' He smiled to Snape. 'But don't worry ,Professor. I'm doing it Slytherin way. I will get the ring without getting caught.'

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Nordi found himself, second time that day, walking through the corridor leading to Dumbledore's office. He was desperate to get the ring, however, he didn't think of any specific plan- he was worried that if he had stayed at Snape's place any longer, his mentor would have started trying to wean him away from the idea. Before leaving, Nordi dropped by his room, grabbing his leather belt an hooking his Ritual Dagger on it. He also took his wand in case it was needed, and a few vials of some handy Potions.

Nordi spotted a group of first-year Huffelpuffs standing nearby the Gargoyle statue. Perfect; he could attempt to use those kids to lure the old coot out of his office.

'Hey, you guys,' He said, coming by to the firsties. 'You wanna learn an awesome spell?'

Kids looked at each other, not sure how to react.

'No offence, Exile' one of the boys said 'but my Mother would kill me if she learned that I had performed a Dark Spell.'

'This one isn't Dark. It's even taught at Hogwarts to the upper-years. It's affinity is Neutral. You wanna see it? It's pretty cool.'

Encouraged, the kids nodded.

In order to teach the kids to perform the Spell, Nordi had to show them, using his wand. He drew it out of the hostler and lifted it up toward the ceiling, making a simple movement. He was very careful not to use too much of his Magical energy, not wanting to blow the school up.

'Bombarda.' he uttered.

The spell came out just like he wished; a small and harmless, but loud explosion.

The kids were excited; they pulled their wand out and mimicked Nordi's gesture. All of them managed to create a small explosion, and the corridor filled with loud "BANGS!".

'Oi, Exile!' one of the first-years asked. 'Isn't Mcgonagall going to come here and yell at us?'

'Mcgonagall isn't here. She won't come' Nordi answered.

He wasn't even lying- Mcgonagall wasn't going to come for the kids. Dumbledore was.

Nordi sneaked out to an empty classroom and casted a Glamour upon himself. He stood and peeped through the door; the kids were getting better at the spell and their explosions were becoming louder and bigger.

Just like he had assumed, Dumbledore soon appeared. He approached the children and scolded them lightly. Having spotted that they were Huffelpuffs, the Headmaster apparently decided to take the group to Professor Sprout. As soon as the corridor was clear, Nordi jumped out of the classroom and yelled _'Ice Mice_!' at the Gargoyle. The ugly statue let the boy inside.

The boy needed to think and act as quickly as possible. The fastest and most effective Rituals he could think of in this situation was the Sleep Ritual and Stunning Ritual. Both of them involved Blood Sacrifice and was on the Darkest side of the spectrum, however, the Sleep Ritual was actually used for healing insomnia and other sleep issues. It's effect were similar to the effect of Dreamless Sleep Potion. In combination with a Stunning Ritual, it was bound to cause loss of consciousness for at least a few hours.

Nordi checked contents of his pocket; the Potions he had were a Calming Draught, a Booster and a Pepper-up Potion. The last two were useless, but the Calming Draught could be used as a catalyst for the Sleep Ritual.

Nordi circled quickly Dumbledore's desk and kneeled on the floor in the corner. He drew his Dagger and sliced his wrist. He quickly realized that in his rush he had cut too deeply; blood started flowing like crazy; he probably won't need so much of it. He squeezed his forearm just above the cut, an used his blood to draw a circle with three Naga runes inside, symbolizing 'rest' , 'night' and 'health'. Then, he carefully opened a vial with calming Draught and let a few drops fall on his index finger. The boy led his finger throughout the shapes mixing the Potion with the blood. Having finished, he cast a strong _Notice-me-Not_ on the circle and moved ahead to opposite corner of the room.

Trying to act calmly, he let go of his forearm, letting the blood flow freely and used it to draw yet another circle, this time filling its interior with Gaelic runes for 'wholeness', 'comprehension' and 'mind'. Not having any catalyst, he muttered a powerful incantation upon the circle. He cast another Notice-me-Not.

Because the office wasn't kept together by any wards, he had yet to set the boundaries of the Rituals. He crawled with his sliced wrist upon the floor, drawing long lines connecting the circles with each other, and each or them with the entrance. Looking from above, it would look like two small circles within a huge half-circle.

He cuddled his bleeding wrist to his chest and made his way out, when- to his horror- he heard a loud smirk behind his back. He turned around and looked up; the room seemed to be empty. He didn't feel anyone's Magical signature inside, either.

'Look up here, young man.'

Nordi looked up and cursed silently. He had forgotten about the damn portraits!

Dumbledore's office's walls were filled with portraits of former Headmasters and Headmistresses. They all have obviously seen Nordi's actions and were most likely to tell everything to the old coot. Nordi felt a dozen pairs of eyes staring at him from the paintings. He turned his head to the one that spoke to him- a white-haired old man signed as Armando Dippet.

'I don't mean to hurt him. Merely put him to sleep.'

Dippet eyed him cautiously.

'Why would you go through so much effort just to put Albus to sleep?' he asked.

Nordi decided to be honest.

'I must restore something that doesn't belong to him.'

Dippet still was looking at him with penetrating eyes.

'He did hurt me today. You all have seen that.' The boy pointed out.

'Indeed we have.'

'Please don't tell him about the Rituals.'

The Headmasters and Headmistresses seemed to look at each other, if that was even possible through their frames.

'If they are not intended to cause him any harm, we shall be pretending not to have seen anything. ' Dippet said solemnly.

Nordi sighed with relief.

'Thank you.'

The boy renewed his glamourand finally got out of the office. He walked into the empty classroom again, waiting for the Light Wizard to return. Having felt more and more dizzy, he regretted not having any Blood Replenishment Potion with him. He spent about fifteen minutes in the classroom, until Dumbledore returned.

As soon as the old Wizard entered the door behind the Gargoyle, Exile felt his hostile Aura fading away to a point of being impossible to sense. Perfect. The old coot has just passed out.

Nordi stepped out of the classroom, and, for the third time that day, came by to the Gargoyle.

'_Ice Mice.'_

He entered the office and smirked. Dumbledore was lying on the floor in a state between a deep sleep and unconsciousness. Nordi knelt by him and took the ring off his dark, dry finger. He resisted the temptation of breaking a couple of fingers additionally.

He took the ring and lifted it high enough for Dippet to see.

'Headmaster Dippet' he said. 'This ring isn't Albus Dumbledore's property. It is a powerful Magical Artifact and I'm going to give it back to its rightful owner.'  
Dippet nodded.

'As far as I am concerned, Albus passed out due to his work overload.'

Nordi bowed silently.

'Thank you, Headmaster Dippet.'

Nordi came by to his Ritual Circles and uttered 'Scourgify' upon them, leaving the floor clean. Then, he levitated Dumbledore's body to the couch. The old man was for sure going to notice the lack of the ring later on. However, when he wakes up, trace of Nordi's magical presence will be long gone. Without any traces, there will be no proof of Exile's 'guilt'.

Additionally, even the portraits were on the boy's side. By the Dark Lord, it couldn't have gone better.

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Nordi turned his tiny room upside down, looking for Blood Replenishment Potion, but he didn't have any. And there was no way in hell Exile was going to the Hospital Wing in his obviously suspicious state. However, dizziness got unbearable, his vision got blurry too. He knocked to the Potions lab; Snape was apparently having a class.

When he stepped inside, cuddling his bleeding wrist, Snape's eyes widened. He was in the middle of a lesson with fifth year Gryffindors, but he gave them an assignment and walked quickly to his protégé.

'Which Potion?' He whispered. Nordi smiled; Snape understood him even without a word.

'Blood Replenishment' he answered, showing his mentor a bleeding wrist. Snape hissed and summoned a vial of Potion.

'What about the...' Professor whispered.

Nordi pulled the ring out of his pocket. Snape's eyes widened.

'What about Dumbledore?'

'Soundly asleep.'

Severus shook his head in disbelief.

'Professor, could you excuse me from the rest of today's classes?'

'I've already did it.'

'Thank you. I have some more stuff to do.'


	8. One Of Your Kind

A twelve-year-old Dark Wizard sprinted through the Forbidden Forrest, tripping on the tree roots. As soon as he crossed the wards, he disapparated, focusing his mind on Malfoy Manor image.

He appeared inside the Entrance Hall, and was welcomed by surprised faces of Orion and several other Death Eaters.

Bellatrix immediately approached him with a worried look on her face. Well, after this crazy day he must have not looked too well.

'Nordi-boy?! By the Dark Lord's name, what happened to you? You're as white as sheet and... where all this blood came from?!'

Nordi gave her a weak smile.

'I had a... little encounter with our most beloved and precious Headmaster.'

The boy watched Bella's eyes darkening after his words.

Orion came by to them and gave Nordi an angry look.

'What kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time?' he snarled.

'Save your breath, Orion-boy! Can't you see that the old coot hurt your little brother?'

'Bella, I have something really, really important for you.' Nordi cut in anxiously. 'I figured that you are the person to know what that really is.'

Nordi pulled the ring out of his pocket and handed it over to Bellatrix.

'This is something the old coot had stolen from one of us' he explained, with shaking voice. 'It had cursed his right hand and made a stain on his perfectly Light Aura. I assumed this is a very powerful Magical Artifact, either a Tectumqus or a Horcrux, and must have been created by a very powerful Dark Wizard.'

Bellatrix looked fascinated by the ring, she lifted it to her eyes to get a closer look. Nordi watched her eyes twinkling with understanding.

'I want this ring to return to its rightful owner. Do you know who might have created it?'

'I know' she whispered. 'But how did it end up by the old coot, I have no idea.'

Nordi smiled with a relief.

'I knew you were a right person I could turn to.' I knew I did the right thing to take the ring away from the bastard.'

Bella came by closer to the boy.

'You don't even have the slightest idea how crucial restoring this ring was. '

Nordi budged with surprise; was it?

'Look at me, Nordi Exile.'

As grey eyes met black eyes, Bella spoke.

'I don't even want to think how did you manage to do it. But be sure, Nordi; you shall be rewarded above all others.'

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POV: Bellatrix Black Lestrange

As soon as the boy headed back to Hogwarts, Bella decided to surprise her Master with joyful tidings. She knocked to the door of his private office and waited; having heard a 'come in', she stepped in and fell to her knees, bowing low.

'Rise, Bellatrix' Lord Voldemort uttered.

The female Death Eater breathed in his Aura. It was strong, comforting and reassuring; she had always valued every single moment she was able to spend in the Dark Lord's presence.

'What brings you, dear Bellatrix?' he asked in a soft voice. Bella lifted her eyes at the serpent-like, intimidating figure.

'I came with good news, my Lord.' She whispered, took the ring out of her pocket and handed it over to her Master, bowing slightly.

The look of pure shock on the Dark Lord's face was enough to make Bella's heart stop for a while.

'My Lord,' she started explaining. 'The ring was in the possession of Albus Dumbledore. It has been restored from him today.'

A wide range of emotions appeared in Voldemort's crimson eyes; at first, it was an endless shock, then a horrifying anger, at last- a twinkle of understanding.

'Who managed to take the ring from Dumbledore?' he asked.

'It was Exile, my Lord.'

'Orion?' he asked with visible surprise. 'How was he able to do it?'

'Not Orion, my Lord. One of his protégés, a Hogwarts student.'

The Dark Lord looked at Bella, apparently waiting for her to elaborate.

'The boy was still crushed and shaky after the encounter with Dumbledore, when he approached me with the ring. Therefore, his explanation was a little bit chaotic. However, I am positive I understood him correctly: the boy had found the present of the ring soothing, while having to endure Dumbledore's tortures...'

Voldemort hissed. Bella cowered, but gave her a sign to go on.

'He sensed the ring's Dark Aura and your Magical Signature within it, my Lord. Although he wasn't fully aware what kind of an Artifact he was dealing with, he took a his duty to take it away from the old coot.'

'I wish to speak with the boy.' Voldemort requested.

'He is off back to Hogwarts, my Lord, but I am positive he will come back tomorrow.'

'As soon as he turns up at the Headquarters, you will bring him to me, Bella.'

'Yes, my Lord.'

'You are dismissed.'

Bella bowed and headed to the door. She smiled to herself, the boy's dream was about to come true.

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POV: Nordi Exile

The day after the encounter with the Headmaster, Nordi was still unnerved and shaky. However, the visit in the Headquarters gave him the boost, according to Bella- he had completed a mission of great importance. Her words about the reward left him excited, although the greatest reward for him would be an acknowledgement and acceptance from the Death Eaters. The last three days left him bound strongly with the Headquarters; a place filled with familiar and supportive Aura felt most welcoming and friendly.

He paid even less attention than ever to classes that day.

During a Charms Class, they discussed some NEWTs level household spells. They were supposed to purify a glass of filthy, dirty water with a cleansing spell. Having completed the assignment, Nordi sat impatiently, drumming his fingers on the desk, waiting for the class to be over. He wanted to sneak out to the Headquarters after he was done with the lessons.

A clumsy seventh-year Huffelpuff, sitting one desk away from Exile, was visibly struggling to perform the spell. Despite his efforts, water in his glass remained filthy. He looked with a twinkle of hope at Nordi, who has been done with the task for ages.

'Oi, Exile' he whispered. 'Could you help me out? I don't get that spell, and you've performed it effortlessly...'

Nordi frowned. That day, he had absolutely no patience for all those petty Hogwarts students.

'You're supposed to do it yourself.' he muttered.

'Oh, come on. I can't afford to get another bad grade. It's mere trifle for you. Just purify my water.'

Nordi went crimson with anger and turned to the Hufflepuff boy.

'How about I'll purify your blood? How were you even able to get accepted into this school, being such a pathetic squib?'

The seventeen-year-old blushed and clenched his teeth; then he grabbed his glass and poured the dirty water over Nordi. Exile jumped off his seat , looking at disgusting stains on his robes.

'By the Dark Lord!' he exclaimed. He didn't bother to hold his tongue that day.

Disregarding stunned looks from his fellow students, Nordi rose his hand, drawing attention of Professor Flitwick.

'Professor, I have completed my assignment. Can I be dismissed early to go and change my robes?'

The half-goblin nodded, apparently not willing to deal with the boy.

Exile quickly made his way to the dungeons, watching out for Dumbledore (whom he, up to this point of the day, managed to successfully avoid). He changed robes and disappeared in the secret passage.

As soon as he arrived in the Malfoy Manor, Bella was there to greet him. Seeing her face and feeling her comforting Aura were alone sufficient soothe his nerves.

'Bella...' he sighed with gratitude. 'You have no idea how good to see you.'

'Nordi-boy, good to see you, too. Does Severus know that you're here?'

Nordi blinked, he actually didn't tell Snape that he was leaving. He was still supposed to sit at his Charms class.

'I kinda skipped classes today.' Nordi confessed.

'Nevermind. He wishes to see you.' Bella said with tension.

Nordi's eyes widened.

'_He_...? The Dark Lord?' he whispered.

'Yes.'

Nordi, pale and shaky, followed Bellatrix to the Dark Lord's office. He felt his legs going jelly and his palms and forehead sweating heavily.  
He was going to meet the Dark Lord. How amazing was that?

When a soft voice ordered them to come in, Bella entered and fell to her knees, bowing her head. Nordi quickly followed in her steps. He could sense a incredibly strong, comforting and soothing Dark Aura all over the room.

'Rise, both of you.'

The Dark Lord had a surprisingly soft voice. Nevertheless, he was an intimidating person. Tall and skinny, he looked much like a Naga, with his very thin grayish skin and serpent-like face. His eyes were intensively red and seemed to be blazing with fire.

Voldemort was eyeing Nordi cautiously. Nordi swallowed, forcing his breath to calm down. Despite of the strong, soothing Aura, he still felt intimidated and nervous like never before.

'Boy,' The Dark Lord spoke. 'Introduce yourself.'

'Nordi Exile, my Lord.'

Much to his own surprise, Nordi managed to speak clearly and loudly, without any stuttering.

'I have heard you are attending Hogwarts.' Voldemort went on, apparently wanting to learn more about the boy.

'Yes, my Lord, I am graduating this summer.'

The Dark Lord lifted his right hand to his chest; Nordi looked at it and budged- the ring he had stolen from Dumbledore the previous day was now on Voldemort's thin white finger.

'I have also heard' he said slowly. 'That you have managed to restore my precious Artifact from the hands of a certain loathsome Headmaster.'

Nordi's eyes widened. He was aware of the importance of the ring, but he never assumed it was a Voldemort's property.

'Yes, my Lord.' he answered.

'Would you care to explain me how did you manage to outwit the Light Lord, and take my ring from him?'

Nordi provided Voldemort and Bella with a comprehensive report from his actions the day before. He started from tricking the group of kids into luring the old coot out of his office, and ended at taking the ring to the Manor and handing it over to Bella. He made an effort to describe the rituals he used with as much details as possible.

When the boy was done, Voldemort seemed satisfied.

'Very well, my boy. Tell me one more thing...'

He circled the desk and stood in front of Nordi, looking at him closely.

'You told me that you are graduating from Hogwarts in a few month's time. Therefore, I need to ask you: what your plans for the future are?'

The boy looked straight into the blazing, crimson eyes. The answer was easy. He decided about his future two years before; that night, when Orion returned from the Graveyard.

'I want to serve you to the best of my abilities and fight by your side using all my skills, my Lord.' he said clearly and firmly.

Voldemort let out a satisfied smile.

'I am pleased to hear that, considering that you have proven yourself worthy.'

Nordi gasped in disbelief. Is that really happening?

'Your left arm.' Voldemort requested. Nordi offered him his arm without hesitation.

The Dark Lord rolled up the boy's sleeve, drew his wand and placed it against Nordi's inner forearm.

'Morsmordre.' he whispered.

The kind of pain Nordi felt this moment wasn't nearly as unpleasant as the pain caused by Dumbledore; despite the intensive feeling, the overwhelming Dark Aura, comforting and soothing, made him feel sure that no harm will happen.

A familiar symbol of skull and snake slowly appeared on his burning skin. With each second, the Dark Mark was getting clearer, it started pulsating. At last, Voldemort pulled his wand off.

Nordi looked at his brand-new Mark in a boundless admiration. Could the one thing he was living for, be happening right now?

When he lifted his eyes back at the Dark Lord, he could feel tears filling them. Unable to withhold the tears, the boy let them run down his cheeks.

'Thank you, my Lord.' he whispered.

He went back to admiring his Dark Mark, when Bella spoke:

'My Lord?'

Voldemort turned to her.

'Is Nordi allowed to spend some more time at the Manor tonight?'

'He is allowed to spend here as much time as he wants. He is one of us now. You are both dismissed.'

Bella grinned. She bowed low to the Dark Lord, Nordi did the same, and they made their way to the dining room.

'I am so proud of you.' Bella whispered.

Nordi couldn't help himself and gave her a big hug.


	9. Orion's Suffering

Severus had a rough day.

The old man, having woken up on his couch in the middle of the day, and having spotted disappearance of his ring, wasn't in a good mood.

Snape had to endure twenty minutes in Dumbledore's office, crushed by his-purposely outstretched- Aura. Breathing in and out the immense pain, Snape listened to the old coot's ranting. Severus was given an order to go to the Headquarters later that night. He was supposed to find out if the Dark Lord had his ring back.

Obviously, Severus didn't need to go to the HQ. He was perfectly aware what his protégé had done with the Artifact. His plan was to visit the Manor for the appearance's sake, and pretend in front of Dumbledore that the ring was nowhere to be found.

Snape apparated in the Entrance Hall. A bunch of voices could be heard from the Dining Hall; Snape had no important business here this time, so he might as well go and join his comrades-in-arms for a dinner.

'Severus!' Bella seemed to be happy to see Snape as he stepped into the large room. Snape rose his eyebrows- Bella was never very fond of him

The next what he saw caused him to gasp in disbelief. He froze on the spot, having seen his protégé.

The boy was sitting casually at the table, leaning comfortably against the chair. The sleeves of his robes were rolled up, exposing a fresh, intensively black and pulsating, Dark Mark.

Snape was stunned. His twelve-years -old pupil has just became a Death Eater. Snape noticed even a slight change in the way the boy held himself; he was relaxed, but graceful and confident. His face was still very child-like with high cheek-bones and soft chin, but his eyes were blazing with determination.

'Sevvie, are you going to join us? I'll summon a house elf to get us more butterbeer.'

'Thank you, Bella, I'm good.' Snape answered.

'What brings you here, then?'

'Dumbledore has found out about the ring. He sent me here to "look for it" '. Snape explained.

Having heard this, Nordi jumped off his seat, blushing crimson.

'Did he hurt you?' he asked silently.

Eyes of everyone focused on the boy.

'Calm down, Exile.'

'Did the fucking bastard hurt you, Professor?' Nordi repeated slowly.

'There is nothing you can do about it.' Snape whispered.

'Yes, there is. I'm going to kill him.' Nordi said, clenching his left fist. His fresh Dark Mark pulsated in a fast-pace.

It took some effort from Severus and Bella to calm the boy down and convince him to wait with solving the "Dumbledore problem".

They sat down to relax a little. Bella summoned a house elf, ordering him to bring butterbeer. They spent another hour on casual conversations, trying not to bring up the outraging topic of the loathsome Headmaster.

Snape couldn't help but notice an only person in the room behaving suspiciously oddly; not taking part in any conversations, and alienating himself to a point of avoiding eye-contact with any fellow Death Eaters. Severus recognized the fair-haired man as Nordi's legal guardian, Orion Exile.

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POV: Orion Exile

Everyone but Orion have left the Dining Hall.

Severus and Nordi made their way back to Hogwarts and the rest, presumably, went to their private rooms in the Manor.

The young man hid his face in his hands. _How could that have happened?_

How could Nordi have been marked at twelve years of age?

Orion's attempts to keep the boy away from all of this mess turned out to be all in vain.

The primary reason in sending Nordi to Hogwarts was to ensure him safety and relatively "normal" life for seven years. It was meant to be a grant that he wouldn't involve himself with the ongoing conflict until he turned seventeen. Of course, the additional benefits which Orion eagerly pointed out to the boy, also were important- but Nordi staying away from the war came first.

Well, little did Orion knew that his protégé would turn out to be such a prodigy, that keeping him at school for seven years would have been ridiculous. Snape- who apparently became the boy's mentor- arranged for him to skip ahead five years worth of learning.

Orion however didn't give up on trying to keep the boy away from partaking actively in the current events. Even when he needed his presence at the HQ, he never allowed him to come inside, keeping him always at the exterior of the estate.

It all felt apart when Bellatrix and Rudolphus spotted them talking outside. However, Orion never expected things to change so fast. Nordi quickly bond himself with the Headquarters, additionally developing a strong affiliation to Bella (a most annoying girl Orion's ever met). Consequently, he apparently drew Dumbledore's attention to himself, and started messing with the old man, getting himself into even more trouble.

Then, the situation with the ring- Orion couldn't deny that the boy did a brilliant job there, but it _wasn't his job to do_. Instead of leaving dealing with the greatest Light Wizard of all times to grown-ups, Nordi has taken the burden on his own shoulders.

Now, he has taken the Dark Mark, closing for himself all the ways back.

It should not have ended up like this; anyone shouldn't choose their path for the rest of their lives at twelve years of age.

Orion took his Mark at the age of fifteen and regrets were eating him alive. He hated himself for having those remorses. It all made his life unbearable.

He kept blaming his constant feeling of internal conflict on his traumatizing past.

it wasn't exactly easy to have your mind violated by a powerful spell at the age of four; being denied not only your ancestry, but also your early memories. Orion kept struggling with this stigma his entire life.

He had to admit that despite of the childhood hardships, he managed to become a relatively successful person. Despite being raised by Light Wizard, Orion has always been able to recognize his affinity as one-sidedly Dark. During Hogwarts years- unlike Nordi - he had never repelled neither teachers nor students from himself. He used to be popular and liked.

He was also a top student and a Prefect. He started seriously developing his Dark aura during his fourth-year, exploring the restricted section of the library and learning a lot of "un-Hogwarts-like" stuff, but none of the teachers have ever found out about it.

Orion was also a Healer prodigy. As a thirteen-year-old, he could already match Madam Pomfrey in the Medical spellwork field, and by the next year, he has widened his assortment even more, by adding Dark healing methods to it. Madam Pomfrey wasn't probably even aware that there was a branch of Dark Magic that covered healing. Orion got 12 OWLs with straight "O's" and was dead-set to graduate and become a Master Healer.

However, things turned out differently. Before fifth year of school was over, the fair-haired Exile got himself involved with the War effort. He served as a Battle Healer in the Death Eater's regiments as a fifteen and sixteen-year-old. At the very end of the war, when Lord Merit passed away, the teenager was dismissed as he had to take care of the Orphanage as the eldest at the time. A couple of weeks later, the war was over; it ended with Death Eaters' failure and Dark Lord's disappearance.

Raising over twenty abandoned pure-blooded children was fairly rewarding, but Orion could barely endure his internal struggle.

He regretted not having completed his education. He wished he never had involved himself with the war as a teenager. He figured out that his mind- shattered by an Obliviate spell at a very young age- was too fragile to endure certain things.

Orion was no hero and no warrior, and now, he was requested to report on duty once again.

And Nordi was following in his footsteps, and was about to repeat his mistakes.

The fair-haired man heard footsteps and turned around. He groaned silently, seeing Bella.

'Sleep issues? Do you want a Dreamless Sleep Potion?' he asked.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

'What about you?'

He shrugged his shoulders. Bella crossed her arms on her chest.

'What's wrong, Orion-boy?'

He sighed.

'Nordi has been marked.' He answered simply. Bella rose her eyebrows.

'You should be proud of him.'

'I'm not. He's twelve, Bella.'

'So what? He's light years ahead of the other twelve-year- olds.'

'I'm supposed to be his older brother. I'm bound to be worried about him.'

'If I had a younger brother, I would be glad to give him up to the service of the Dark Lord. So should be you.' Bella answered in her usual style. She leaned forward to Orion and looked him in the eyes.

'You have to understand, Orion-boy, that Nordi isn't you. Speaking honestly, he reminds much more of me, or Rabastan. He is not prone to be having any remorses concerning his choice.'

Orion's heart sank. Were his remorses really that obvious to notice? Bella was the last person who should be knowing about his internal conflicts.

'Look, Bella' he whispered.' My mind had been shattered and I cannot put it together despite of twenty five years worth of trying. If not for this, I wouldn't have had any doubts, any at all, regarding my choices and my past.' He said, willing to convince himself more than the girl.

'Is that so?'

Orion rose his eyebrows.

'What do you mean?'

'Do you really think that your second thoughts originate from the Obliviate spell you were subjected to as a child?'

'I...well...yes.' Orion stuttered.

'Then why are you so reluctant to let a Legilimens check your mind, and assess the level of damage?'

Orion frowned.

'I told you I'm not letting anyone tamper with my mind again. Anyone.'

Bella sighed.

'Then, you are destining yourself to spend the rest of your life in uncertainty and internal conflict, Orion-boy.'

'Besides,' she added after a while 'in case you forgot, I have spent thirteen years of my life in Azkaban. I can assure you that I'm through much, much more than you are. I have endured abuse on a level you couldn't even imagine. Did this made me prone to doubts and remorses, Orion? Do I look like a person whose loyalty is instabile? Do I look like a person who ever has any second thoughts?'

Orion blushed in embarrassment, Bella made a point. Despite her horrific experiences in Azkaban, she was the most fanatical Death Eater Orion knew.

' I know, Bella. I'm sorry.' he whispered.

'Go to sleep, Orion-boy, and don't think too much.'

If only it was that easy...

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POV: Nordi Exile

After taking the Dark Mark, Nordi experienced a nice boost of self- confidence.

He walked around the castle with grace and swagger. He looked in the teachers' eyes with no fear, especially the ones who acted hostile towards him. He stood up to the students who dared to tease him each time, unlike before, when he usually just used to shrug his shoulders.

The only person in the castle who Nordi actively avoided was the Headmaster, although not out of fear anymore. Exile was just positive that if he met him, he would not have held back anymore, and Dumbledore would finally got what he deserved. Fortunately, dodging said Headmaster was pretty easy as his Aura could be sensed from an extended distance.

The boy still attended the weekend classes with Snape; he started paying close attention to his mentor's facial expressions and his body language, watching out for any sign of the abuse. Nordi was desperate to shield Snape from Dumbledore. He made it a point of honor to prevent Severus from being hurt by the Light Lord again; after sixteen years worth of abuse he had to endure, Snape deserved someone who would finally stand up for him. Fortunately, after his "unsuccessful attempt to get the ring back", Severus was pretty much left alone for a time-being.

Nordi was sneaking out to the Headquarters every day. Now, when he became an official Death Eater, he felt perfectly comfortable apparating freely to the Manor any time he wanted. Bella was always welcoming him with a hug and a home-cooked meal. If Bella wasn't there, he always had someone else to hang out with- Rudolph, Nott or one of the Carrow siblings usually were in the Headquarters. He also spent a great deal of time in the huge Malfoy's library, where he discovered a whole section about various Runic languages and their application during Rituals.

The only thing that caused Nordi's concern was Orion's behavior. Ever since Nordi was marked, his legal guardian acted oddly towards him. The older Exile became cold an unaffectionate, didn't want to speak to Nordi or even make any eye-contact. When the youngest Death Eater made an attempt to ask Orion about such a change in attitude, the only answer he received was a shrug of shoulders.

One night, hanging out with Bella, Nordi found out about an upcoming Raid on Azkaban, which Bella has been preparing for some time. Nordi was surprised; he thought that all the imprisoned Death Eaters had been released two years before, during the Raid that restored Bella, Rudolph and Rookwood.

'That's correct, but now there's only one prisoner to restore. Lucius Malfoy.' Bella said.

Nordi rose his eyebrows. Although he had never met Lord Malfoy and not even once seen him around the Manor, the boy wasn't aware that Lucius was in jail. He knew a lot about Malfoy from his beloved war stories; Lucius was one of the most famous commanders during the previous war and a member of the Inner Circle. Nordi was actually kind of disappointed never having a chance to meet the hero, but always assumed that Lucius was away on an assignment. He had never thought that such an important person could sit in Azkaban.

'He's in Azkaban since last summer' Bella explained. 'He was caught by the Ministry after our unsuccessful assignment in the Department of Mysteries.'

'I didn't know.' Nordi muttered.

'The Dark Lord didn't make an earlier attempt to get him out of jail, because Lucius had failed him down there, in the Department. He was guilty of our mission being unsuccessful.'

'Did he really fail so badly?'

'It's hard to say. He made a mistake, and lost an opportunity to get a hold of object the Dark Lord needed.'

'Was it a Horcrux?'

'No. It was a prophecy.'

'A...prophecy?'

'Now it isn't important anymore, but back then, Dark Lord cared a great deal about getting this specific prophecy. Due to Lucius' mistake, he didn't have a chance to learn its contents.'

'I see. That means that the Dark Lord's anger at Lucius now diminished, he forgave him and wills to restore him from prison.'

'Exactly.'

'Bella, I want to go on the Raid on Azkaban with you.'

Bellatrix grinned.

'That would be fun. However, I'm not the one to decide about this. The Dark Lord himself will appoint those who will perform the Raid.'

'I hope I can go!'

Nordi got excited at the idea. A Raid on the best-protected Wizarding prison in the world to release the famous Lucius Malfoy- how cool was that?!

'Do you know if Professor Snape is going?' Exile asked.

'Yes, he goes for sure, because he's one of the few of us who can cast the Patronus.'

'Can he?' Nordi blinked.

Patronus Charm was a Light spell on the far end of the spectrum. It was extremely difficult to perform by a Dark Wizard.

'As far as I know, he learned this spell at his school times, before developing his affinity.'

'He's awesome.'

Bella smiled.

'I'm glad that you get along with him so well. I have never had a friendly relation with Snape, but having learned how well had he took care of you at Hogwarts, I decided to make up with him.'

Nordi grinned with surprise, he didn't know that.

'That's awesome, Bella. Snape really is an amazing person. When I'm thinking about the nightmare he had to endure over all those years under Dumbledore's thumb, I face an irresistible temptation to go to the old coot immediately and tear him apart with bare hands.'

Bella laughed.

'The old coot doesn't realize our power. He doesn't know that his end is approaching.'

'I'd like to be there when he will be killed, even if I won't be the one to perform the spell.'

'I could arrange that.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the next weekend, sitting with Snape upon Runic compendium borrowed from the Malfoy Manor, the Potions Master hissed and grabbed his left forearm. Nordi jumped off his seat.

'Sir, are you being summoned?' he asked.

'Yes. Are you not?'

Nordi exposed his forearm; the Dark Mark didn't pulsate and didn't burn.

'No, but I'm sure it's the Raid on Azkaban! Sir, can I please go with you?'

Snape gave him a meaningful look.

'Yes, but remember: If you are not ordered to go with us, then you are to obediently stay in the Manor and wait. The Dark Lord's word is law.'

'Yes, sir. Of course.'

Nordi wouldn't ever disobey the Dark Lord, but he wanted to go on the Raid so badly!

The two Death Eaters quickly made their way through the underground passage, ran through the Forrest and apparated to the headquarters. Bella, August Rookwood and Sept Nott were already gathered in the Entrance Hall. Bellatrix grinned, seeing the Exile.

'Nordi-boy, were you summoned?'

'Err...no.'

The girl made a disappointed face.

'Too bad.'

Suddenly, Lord Voldemort appeared in the Hall. All five Death Eaters fell on their knees at once.

'Rise.' the Dark Lord ordered.

'Bellatrix, Severus, Augustus, Septimus and... Exile?' he gave the boy a surprised look.

Nordi felt Snape's eyes; did the Professor regret bringing him along? Exile swallowed, he did't want to disappoint anybody.

'My Lord, I'd like to volunteer myself for this task.' he said firmly.

Voldemort let out a small smile.

'My boy, as much as I appreciate your eagerness and dedication, I am positive that four people are more than enough for this assignment. It is not massive break-out like the one from two years ago; tonight, we are merely restoring one prisoner. Besides, I have another task for you. Make your way to the Dining Hall and wait there for me.'

Nordi bowed slightly.

'Yes, my Lord.'

As he made his way to the door, he heard Voldemort disclosing details of the task to four Death Eaters. He caught a glimpse of Bella smiling to him.  
Nordi didn't have to wait long in the Dining Hall. Soon, the Dark Lord appeared in the door and the boy jumped off his seat.

'My Lord.'

'Nordi, my boy, do you remember the way you have spotted my precious ring?' Voldemort asked, getting straight to the point . Nordi gave the question a thought for a moment.

'Yes, my Lord. I could sense the Magical Aura inside of the Ring as well as your Magical signature. I was experiencing an immense pain at the moment and the presence of your ring gave me a little bit of a relief.'

'There is one other Artifact inside of Hogwarts, an Artifact of the same kind and the same importance. I need you to find it, using the same way that allowed you to find the ring.'

Nordi opened his mouth. He was going to look for another Horcrux! How cool was that? Definitely better than a lame trip to Azkaban!

'Yes, my Lord!' he said with an excited voice. 'I'd be honored to look for the Artifact for you.'

'Are you familiar with the Room of Requirement, Nordi?'

Nordi frowned; he never heard of such a room.

'No, my Lord.'

Voldemort told Nordi all he needed to know about the mysterious room on the seventh floor at Hogwarts- a room that could change its contents according to the visitor's will. The Dark Lord explained how to make the room appear as a huge storage space, which- throughout the years- students have been using to hide their more controversial or dangerous belongings.

The Horcrux was to be found inside of this giant storage room and it had a shape of a silver diadem-a diadem supposedly once used by Rowena Ravenclaw.  
Having obtained all the necessary information, Nordi bowed to his master and apparated to the Forbidden Forrest. He quickly made his way to the castle, excited by the new task.


	10. Lucius' Request

**Chapter Text**

Making his way to the seventh floor, Nordi forgot about his usual caution and found himself walking face to face with Dumbledore.

That wasn't good.

'Oh, Nordi, my boy' Dumbledore said casually. 'Good Afternoon.'

Nordi clenched his teeth. _I'm not your boy, you bastard_, he thought.

'Good afternoon, Professor.' he uttered, trying to walk past the Headmaster.

'May I ask you a question, Mr Exile?'

_By the Dark Lord no you can't._

'Yes, sir?'

'Have you seen Professor Snape this afternoon? He disappeared somewhere right after lunch.'

Nordi rose his head and look the Headmaster straight into the light blue eyes, withholding a hiss of pain.

'Professor Snape is feeling unwell. He went to sleep and asked not to be disturbed.'

'If that's so, please, wish him a soon recovery when you see him.'

'Alright, Professor.'

Nordi could finally walk away. he wasn't sure if Snape will be allowed to tell Dumbledore about a raid on Azkaban; it was the Dark Lord's job to select the information Severus was pasing on to the old coot.

As soon as the young Death Eater arrived at the end of the seventh floor corridor, he conducted according to the Dark Lord's instructions. He walked three times back and forth along the wall, whispering that he was in a great need to hide something.

A wooden door appeared out of nowhere in the wall. Nordi gasped and stepped inside.

The storage space was enormous, very messy and full of stuff Nordi had never seen before. It was a place that one could find anything.

Unfortunately, it was also so huge, that finding a small diadem- even if it was radiating a trace of Dark Aura- seemed impossible.

Nordi looked at the mountains of various items in front of him and smiled to himself. This will be a long night.

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Forty two hours and three Burning Acid Curses later, Nordi ran through the castle with a silver diadem in his pocket. He sprinted towards the dungeons as fast as possible, nudging countless students on the way. He couldn't care less that it was already Monday morning and he was supposed to be heading to classes. The task assigned by the Dark Lord himself was far more important.

Before he knew, he was already in the Forrest dashing to get through the wards, and apparated to the Manor.

Bella appeared in front of him as soon as she heard "CRACK!" of apparition. She was smiling at first, but when she saw Nordi's face, her grin turned into a wince of disbelief.

'What happened to your face?!'

Nordi was aware of having disgusting, burned wounds all over his face and body. He looked exactly like if he had sprinkled a corrosive acid all over himself. However, there was no time for explanations.

'I have already taken too long, Bella. The Dark Lord was probably expecting to have his Horcrux back the same day. I must hurry now, and I tell you everything as he dismisses me.' he pulled the small diadem out of his pocket and made his way towards the Dark Lord's office.

'Nordi-boy, what are you talking about? The Dark Lord told me that searching for this Artifact could take months!'

Nordi looked at her surprised, but his tension diminished.

'Really? Oh. Looks like I'm ahead with my job.'

Bella smiled.

'Go to him, and come back to me. You have to do something about those wounds of yours. Needles to say, I'd like to hear how did you manage to find the diadem.'

Nordi grinned.

'And want to hear about the Raid on Azkaban in return.'

Bella showed him a lifted thumb and waved him off to go.

He was slightly nervous, knocking to the door of Voldemort's office.

'Come in.'

Nordi stepped in and fell to his knees.

'Rise, my boy.'

Nordi stood up and lifted the diadem.

'I have brought it, my Lord.' he said, handing the Horcrux over to his master.

'Excellent.' Voldemort whispered, giving the diadem a close look.

He turned it around in his thin, white fingers, before opening a heavily warded closet and putting it gently inside.  
Voldemort's familiar, a female snake Nagini, who was curled up in the corner, lifted her small head, but lied it back as soon as the closet was locked.

The Dark Lord turned to the boy.

'I didn't expect you to find it so soon. I must say I am very satisfied. How did your searches go? Was it difficult?'

'Err... well, my Lord, it was a little bit of a problem with the size of the storage space. I mean ,it was huge. The Dark Aura radiated from the diadem wasn't very strong, either, so I had to resort to...ehm...I used the Burning Acid Curse to cause pain to myself. I wanted to recreate conditions I had been in when I noticed your ring in the Dumbledore's office. I was walking around the room looking for a place I would find a consolation in.'

The Dark Lord looked at the boy and drew his wand. He pointed it towards him and whispered a long, complex incantation. A silver light appeared and the pain was gone; Nordi could feel all his horrible wounds fading away.

'Thank you, my Lord.' Nordi said with gratitude. He was surprised to have been healed by the Dark Lord himself.

'Before you leave the Headquarters, go to the infirmary and ask for a Smoothing Potion. It will let you get rid of the scars on your face. You are dismissed.'

Nordi bowed and headed to the door.

Bella was waiting for him in the Dining Hall. He told her quickly about his performance in the Room of Requirement, and demanded a story on Azkaban in return.  
According to Bella, the assignment went smoothly. The encounter with Dementors was never a pleasure, but Snape managed to keep them in check using his powerful Patronus.

They found Lucius- weak, shattered an malnourished, therefore Bella offered to side-along apparate him. He has immediately been placed in the infirmary.  
Lucius' return was a blessing to his wife, Narcissa, who- all the time throughout his absence- has been locked inside their private wing of the Manor, holding an unbearable grief.

She was finding herself unable to face the outside world. But now, much to Bella's relief, her sister was back to life. She was taking care of her husband's treatment and she intended to start helping Orion in the infirmary from now on.

'That's awesome, Bella,' Nordi said. 'But it's hard to believe that your sister has been in the other part of the manor all this time, drowning in her own sadness. If I knew about it, I would have tried to approach her, to comfort her...'

'Do you think that I haven't tried? She wouldn't have let anyone in to her private wing, even her own sister. And besides, I'll enclose to you one of the grown-up secrets: when someone is in a deep mourning, they most likely want to be left alone. Attempting to comfort them usually brings the opposite effect.'

Well, that was one hell of a "grown-up secret".

Before Nordi headed back to Hogwarts, he decided to drop by the infirmary to get the Smoothing Potion for his burn scars. Bella offered to keep him company.

Stepping in the long, sterile hall with a row of simple hospital beds on both sides, separated from each other by cloth screens, Nordi saw Orion digging in a Potions dresser.

'Greetings and salutations, Big Brother Orion!' he said mockingly. 'Are you going to keep on ignoring me, or are we finally going to talk like normal people?'

'Piss off, Nordi.' Orion snarled. Bella burst into laughter, but Nordi frowned.

'Oi, watch your tongue! What have you accomplished recently? For your information, I've just found yet another Horcrux!'

Orion shrugged his shoulders.

'That's cool. Whatever.'

'Orion-boy, go ahead and dig up a Smoothing Potion in this dresser of yours.' Bella said.

The older Exile frowned.

'Why do you need it?'

'I got burned during the assignment; the Dark Lord has healed my wounds but I still have burn scars.'

Orion rolled his eyes, summoned the vial wandlessly and handed it over to the boy.

Bella took Nordi by the hand and dragged him deeper inside the infirmary.

'Come, Nordi-boy, I'd like you to meet someone.'

Behind one of the cloth-screens, Nordi saw a couple of middle-aged people; a handsome man with long blond hair and noble features was lying in bed, and a beautiful fair-hair woman was sitting beside him.

'Nordi, this is my sister Narcissa, and my brother-in-law, Lucius.'

The Malfoys looked at the boy , who felt utterly embarrassed. If he knew that two representants of a Noble and Most Ancient pure-blooded Wizarding house were inside the room, he would know better than to fool around with Orion like a Mudblood.

Wanting to immediately erase the bad first impression, the boy firmly shook Lucius' hand and bowed slightly in front of Narcissa, kissing her hand's knuckles.

'It's a honor to meet you, I am Nordi Exile, a friend of Bella' he said.

Narcissa gave him a weak, pale smile; it looked like the months of grief took an effect on her.

'Bella told us a lot about you, my dear. Exclusively good things, in that matter.'

Nordi blushed.

'Really? I mean... Thank you, Bella, I appreciate it.'

'Will Severus excuse you from today's classes, Nordi-boy?' Bella asked with a hope.

'I haven't seen him in almost three days. I should head back to the castle, otherwise he will start to worry.'

'You've got the point.'

Nordi said his goodbyes to everyone, made a stop in the bathroom to grease his face and body with the Smoothing Potion, and headed to the Entrance Hall.

Much to his surprise, he was stopped by the oak front door by Mr Malfoy, dressed in hospital pajamas and a bathrobe. He was very pale and clearly unwell; he looked like he was about to collapse.

'Lord Malfoy, are you alright?' Nordi asked worriedly, coming by closer to the blond-haired man.

'Exile, I need to ask you for help...'

'C...certainly, but maybe it's better if you laid down?'

'I will be alright. Look...' he leaned against the wall. Talking and breathing were obviously a struggle for him. He caught Nordi's worried eyes.

'Don't give me that look; I'm not sick. This is a side effect of ten months worth of Azkaban treatment.' he gasped a huge breath.

'Y-yes, Lord Malfoy.' Nordi replied. 'What can I help you with?'

'It's about my son. You two are schoolmates; Draco is a sixth-year.'

Nordi nodded. He remembered the blond-haired boy; they shared OWLs classes the year before. He had hardly talked with Draco before though.

'He was given an assignment that he is unable to fulfill. An assignment of great importance.' Lucius emphasized. 'Narcissa had asked Severus Snape earlier this year to help Draco; Severus was willing to help, but, apparently, he was too pushy. That repelled my son and made him unwilling to accept any help. However, if he fails the assignment... well, he cannot afford to fail It is too important. Now, I am desperate for Draco to fulfill his task. I have heard from Bella about your accomplishments; please, try to help my son. I am sure he will be less reluctant to accept a help from someone closer to his own age. If you succeed to help him... I will reward you beyond your expectations.'

Nordi was unsure how to react to the last sentence.

'Lord Malfoy, I'll be more than happy to help Draco. But I really don't need any material reward. If Draco is one of our kind, then I am bound to help him to the best of my abilities.'

Lucius nodded with a visible relief.

'He is. He has been marked in the summer.'

Nordi smiled.

'Please, relax, Lord Malfoy. I'll do anything I can to help him. _We take care of our own_.'

Malfoy pulled a piece of parchment out of his bathrobes' pocket.

'This is a description of my son's assignment. Set alight once you read it.'

'Alright, that's what I'll do.'

Nordi made his way to the door, when he was stopped once more.

'Exile?'

'Yes, sir?'

'Thank you.'


	11. Wards Are Down!

The next morning, Nordi was sitting in the Great Hall, pondering upon how to approach Draco.

He didn't even know how to address the older boy. Being schoolmates, he was entitled to use Draco's first name, however, at this point, both of them being Death Eaters, they were just pretending to be mere schoolboys. Draco was four years older than Nordi, he had an eight months longer time of service by the Dark Lord, and- most importantly- Draco was a heir to a Noble and Most Ancient pure-blooded house. That alone made him superior to Nordi, therefore, Exile decided to address the other boy with all the deserved respect.

Apart from that, Nordi had to think about an optimal way to approach Malfoy heir not to repel the other boy from himself. Draco had declined Snape's help, because the Potions Master was being- according to Lucius-_too "pushy"_, whatever that even was supposed to mean. He had therefore to be extra cautious and lenient towards Draco. He braced himself and stood up from his seat, circling the Slytherin table to come by to the spot the young Malfoy was sitting.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

POV: Draco Malfoy

Draco couldn't brace himself to eat anything. The last few months left him exhausted, sleep-deprived and underweight. The burden he had on his shoulders was too much for him to handle. Panic attacks during the days and horrible nightmares in his sleep became daily parts of his life. The immense tension was squeezing his internal organs all of the time.

_What if I fail?_

The small voice in the back of his head seemed to ask this question repeatedly. No, he was not allowed to fail.

And yet, his efforts seemed to be all in vein. He didn't manage to fix the Vanishing Cabinet and he wasn't even able to bring himself to think about killing the old coot.

And Snape...

Although Draco somehow regretted turning his help down, he was still sure that Severus was only offering it to have all the credits and rewards to himself. That was not going to happen.

_What are you going to do, though? What if you fail?_

The voice was getting unbearable. Draco could tears making their way into his eyes.

'Young Lord Malfoy? Can I please have a word with you?'

Draco quickly withheld his tears and turned around. A skinny twelve-years-old Slytherin was standing beside him. Draco took a closer look on his face. This was one of the Exiled kids; the one known best for skipping five years ahead, and for talking back to the Sorting Hat during the Sorting Ceremony a year before. Draco was positive that they had shared classes last year; although, they never really talked to each other- the younger boy hardly talked to anyone. He repelled most of other students with his rather intimidating Dark Aura. What would he want from Draco?

Malfoy heir decided to hear him out. He nodded and followed the Exiled boy to the dungeons. At first, he thought they were going to the Common Room, but they passed by it, as well as the Potion labs. The younger boy stopped by a door at the end of the corridor, opened and stepped in a tiny room.

However, when Draco attempted to enter, he encountered an invisible obstacle; he recognized it as a protective ward. He saw the twelve-year-old outstretching his fingers over strange symbols on the floor and muttering incantations. A flesh of silver light washed over the room and the ward disappeared. Exile invited Draco inside with a gesture.

The Malfoy heir stepped in and froze on the spot: the stone floor of the tiny room was "ornamented" with at least six liters worth of blood, in the Ritual circles with symbols from various Runic alphabets inside. Draco looked at Exile uttering incantations upon them, putting the wards back up. _Who the hell was this boy?_

Draco saw him looking now visibly embarrassed for some reason.

'Young Lord Malfoy, please forgive me for inviting you to this not-so-impressive room of mine, but I needed a heavily warded place to talk privately. Errr...'

He looked around, presumably realizing that there was nothing in the room for Draco to sit on.

Exile snapped his fingers, conjuring a simple chair for his guest.

'I have never introduced myself to you properly. Nordi Exile.' The boy started.

'You can call me Draco. I know we are both pure-blooded Wizards, but after all, we are at school. You don't have to obey hierarchy among schoolmates.'

The younger boy-Nordi-looked visibly relieved.

'Draco' he said. 'Please don't get unnerved at what I will tell you, but I was approached by your Father yesterday.'

Draco jerked. He knew that his father has been released from Azkaban three days before, but he didn't expect him to visit Hogwarts. If he had been at Hogwarts, why didn't he come to see Draco?

'Was my Father here?' he asked.

'Here? You mean, at Hogwarts? No, I met him yesterday at the Headquarters.'

Draco rose his eyebrows.

'At my home? What were you doing there?'

'See... I know that it sounds weird, but I'm recently a frequent visitor there. Yesterday I have spent there quite a lot of time after an assignment, and...'

'_Assignment? Frequent visitor_? What do you mean by all of this?' Draco frowned.

The younger boy was visibly struggling to find adequate words to explain, but he seemed stuck. Instead, he pulled up his left sleeve, exposing his forearm. Draco gasped in shock, when he saw a clear, fresh Dark Mark. suddenly, everything made sense.

'When...?' Draco whispered.

'Three weeks ago. You're eight months my senior.'

Young Malfoy nodded, still stunned. The younger boy went on.

'Listen, Draco. I was asked by your Father to help you and I wish to help you, but I absolutely don't want to take your job from you, nor to impose my will on you. I know that you have declined help from Professor Snape earlier this year...'

'I have declined it, because Snape would help me-of course he would- but afterwards, he would want all the glory and rewards to himself!'

The younger boy for the first time looked unimpressed; he frowned slightly at Draco, but he didn't respond to that claim.

'Well... anyways, I assure you that I absolutely don't want any credit for completing the task. I don't want to force anything on you, either. It will be all up to you; I just want you to know that you can approach me for help any time you will feel like it. I will also key you into the wards of this room, so you can come even if I'm not here, any time you will need a warded space; to practice some "un-Hogwarts-like" Magic, or anything else of this sort.'

Draco looked at the boy in disbelief.

'Do you really want to key me into your super-strong Blood Wards of your private room? We barely know each other.'

'Draco, we are comrades-in-arms. We take care of our own. And besides, I really want to help you.'

The young Malfoy nodded. Well, that was defenietly better than Snape with his intrusive, pushy attitude.

Draco allowed Nordi to cast a mild cutting curse on his wrist and collect a little bit of his blood into a glass vial. Exile places a few drops of blood inside of each circle. Having been keyed into the wards, Draco nodded curtly to the younger boy and made his way to classes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

POV: Nordi Exile

Nordi had some second thoughts about the risk he had made. Leaving the decision up to Draco was risky, but Nordi wanted to approach the older boy in the most compassionate and non-pushy way he could. All he had left was to hope that the blonde boy will accept his offer of help.

Fortunately, by the next day, Draco chased him at the corridor after Transfiguration class.

'Do you know where Room of the Requirement is? ' he whispered.

'Yeah.'

'We'll meet by the entrance, tonight at 10.'

'No problem.'

At 10 p.m, Nordi found himself again in the Room of Requirement's enormous storage space, following Draco trough huge piles of junk. He wasn't exactly happy to be at this place again, his memories about walking around it with nasty wounds for over forty hours were still fresh.

Draco led him to a large piece of furniture, covered with a blanket. He pulled the blanket off and a tall wooden cabinet appeared.

'This is a Vanishing Cabinet.' he explained. 'Have you ever heard of this stuff?'

Exile shook his head.

The young Malfoy explained him with details how the Vanishing Cabinet worked and all about his plan of sneaking fellow Death Eaters inside of the castle using it.

'The twin cabinet is in the Knocturn Alley, and is a working one. However, this right here needs fixing. I have spent a great deal of time here trying to make it work, but I was unsuccessful.'

Nordi stared with admiration; Draco's plan was so simple, and yet so ingenious! Nordi would never think about such an easy way for the Death Eaters to step inside the school.  
Since the conversation with Lucius, Nordi was under impression that Draco is working on a completely different project.

'That's brilliant, Draco!' he said, genuinely impressed. 'I would never have thought about such a simple way. I was sure that we are taking the wards down!'

Draco looked at the younger boy; a disbelief on his face turned slowly into a look of hope.

'Would you be able to do it?'

'Uhm... I guess, but your way is much safer and more simple.'

'However, I can't mend the Cabinet.'

'We could work on that.'

'No.' Draco decided. 'I want to take the wards down.'

'Draco, I like your idea better. Putting the wards down is the last resort.'

'Nordi,' Draco said impatiently. 'I came up with the Vanishing Cabinet, because I have never thought I would meet someone able to work the ancient wards out. However, having such an opportunity, we have to grasp it. I want to complete the assignment in an epic way. If we manage to put the wards down, it will allow the reinforcements to arrive much faster and in a larger number. What's more, that would be a way to humiliate the old coot before he dies.'

The younger boy smiled slowly.

'The point is yours.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The two young Death Eaters made their way outside of the castle (Draco-as a Prefect, was allowed to walk around past the curfew, and Nordi casted a Glamour on himself).  
Nordi was aware of the location of all of the Ward Stones on the school grounds. There were four main ward Stones, each of them keeping up one specific kind of ward -an Anti-apparition one, a shield against people with a strong Dark Affinity, a physical shield that protected the castle from exterior attacks, and a Glamouring Ward that kept the castle invisible for Muggles. Draco and Nordi's task was to enable a small-scaled landing operation, therefore, they needed to take down only the first two.

The Anti-Apparition Ward was located at the exterior of the Easter Wing of the castle. A large pile of stones was placed there, leaning against the massive wall.

Nordi fell on his knees in front of the pile of stones and started digging in it, removing the smaller stones to the side. Draco looked at him, surprised.

'LUMOS!' Nordi yelled, spotlighting the bunch of rocks. 'No way... those damn morons!' he groaned. Draco knelt by his side.

'What is it ?' he asked anxiously.

'Look over here. Someone...whether it was Dumbledore, or one of the previous Headmasters... had casted a Glamour upon the Warding Stone, making it look like an ordinary piece of rock. Did they think such a primitive trick would really work? ARTE FACTUM REVELIO !' he yelled, stretching his hand out towards the stones. The ordinary ones got spread all over the ground, exposing a large oval stone, which seemed to be radiating a dim light.

'There you are.' Nordi grinned.

Before he started working the ward out, he wanted to make something clear to the older boy.

'Draco, we will not be having much time after I take it down. You know about the detector devices in the old coot's office? They inform him about what state the wards are in. I'm positive that he won't notice if we take them down just for a few minutes, concerning that he is most likely asleep, but I don't want to risk keeping them down for an extended period of time now. We will do a try-out to see if we were successful, and then immediately come back to mend the wards. When the time comes for you to fulfill your assignment, we will take them down for good.'

Draco nodded, acknowledging the plan.

Nordi casted a mild cutting curse upon his wrist (he regretted not taking the Dagger with him) and made a circle of blood around the Ward Stone. Next, he stood up and placed his bleeding forearm upon the rock, muttering a long incantation. He was positive that the simple, standard method based on Blood Sacrifice will be more than sufficient to break the fragile connection thread between the Artifact and the magical shield. Wards erected by Light Wizards- even unbelievably powerful wards- couldn't usually stand up against the Darkest branch of Magic.

A bright light connecting Nordi's outstretched hand and the Ward stone dimmed. Nordi stopped reciting and pulled his hand off; he could feel that he had been successful.

'That's it!' he grinned, feeling drops of sweat from his forehead making their way to his chin. 'Time for the next one.'

He offered his hand to Draco; the older boy accepted it hesitantly, not knowing what was that about. Nordi side-apparated him to the Northern Wing.  
The blonde boy looked stunned.

'Exile, we've just...apparated! On the school grounds!'

'By the Dark Lord we did!' Nordi answered, grinning happily. 'Now we must be quick; the old coot may notice a disturbance within his devices anytime now.'

Draco held his "lumos-ed" wand outstretched, when Nordi performed the similar ritual upon the other Ward Stone. Exile rushed through the incantations this time, as he was aware of the danger of Dumbledore finding out, but he was nevertheless successful. He could feel the light thread fading away.

'Now, on to the try-outs. ' he said with satisfaction. 'Grab my hand, Draco; we are going to your place.'

The blonde boy accepted Exile's hand, and they apparated straight to the Headquarters' Dining Hall. Draco looked in a speechless disbelief, first at the group of surprised Death Eaters at the table, and then at the younger boy by his side.

'We did it!' he whispered. 'We really did it!'

Bellatrix was the first to stand up and come by to the boys, but before she had a chance to say anything, Nordi stretched his hand out to her.

'Come on, Bella, grab my hand. We're going to Hogwarts.'

Bella froze on the spot, her face expressing a boundless disbelief.

'What?!'

Nordi exposed his teeth in a cheeky grin.

'We've just fucked the wards up.'

'Language!' Orion hissed, but after a second he actually comprehended what did his former protégé say. 'Wait... you did WHAT?!'

Nordi gave him an amused look.

'Orion, did I mishear, or have you just spoken to me?'

The older Exile blushed.

Bella, on the other hand, came by quickly to the boys.

'Is that true? Are the Hogwarts' wards down?'

'Yes, Auntie Bella.' Draco answered .'We apparated directly from the school grounds.'

'Nevertheless, we want to hold a try-out and side-along apparate one of you to the castle. Grab my hand, Bella.'

Bellatrix grinned and stretched her hand out towards Nordi, but in the very second a healthier-looking Lucius Malfoy stepped in the room.

'Draco!'

'Father!'

The young Malfoy was visibly relieved to se his Father in a good condition.

'Father, we have just taken the Hogwarts' wards down.' Draco declared, standing upright in front of Lucius.

The look of boundless pride on Lucius' face was priceless.

'Lord Malfoy, do you wish to apparate with us to the castle to check our performance out?' Nordi asked.

Lucius came closer, Draco stretched his hand out.

'Father, let me side-along apparate you.'

Nordi took Bella's hand and Draco took Lucius; after a few seconds the four Death Eaters found themselves in front of Hogwarts' heavy oak front door.

Bella started laughing, Lucius turned his head around in disbelief.

Bella was visibly struggling with a temptation to cast a powerful "Bombarda" upon the castle. Nordi grabbed her shoulder, trying to soothe her excitement.

'You'll have a chance to have some fun when the time comes' he said. 'Now, we mustn't draw attention to ourselves, besides, we have to mend the wards before the old coot notices that something is off.'

Bella ruffled Nordi's hair and Lucius embraced his son for goodbye. Both of the older Death Eaters apparated away, and the boys hurried to the first Ward Stone.

'Scourgify!' Nordi yelled, wiping out the Ritual circle and blood stains from the piece of rock. He uttered a counter-incantation, slowly pulling out the fragile thread that held the shield up. He casted back the Glamour Charm upon the Artifact and levitated the ordinary stones back on place. He repeated the same process by the Northern Wing.

Draco casted a tempus.

'1 a.m.' he said. 'The entire process took us less than two hours.'

'Keep in mind that the next time, we won't be putting the wards back up. Moreover, when I know the exact locations of the stones, I can be even faster.'

Draco nodded, satisfied.

'Let's go inside, before we get caught.'

'You've got the point.'


	12. The First Raid Of Mine

The next day was a Saturday and Nordi was hanging out in the Potions Classroom until late in the evening, sitting upon a fascinating book on Parsel Runes he borrowed from the HQ. Snape meanwhile was grading papers; they often spent time like this, in silence, enjoing each other's supportive Aura, which helped them focusing on what they did.

It was almost curfew, when Snape, out of nowhere, decided to ask:

'Are you helping Draco?'

Nordi looked at him awkwardly. He purposely didn't want to bring that topic up with his mentor. He was sure that knowing that Draco turned his helpful hand down, but accepted help from Nordi, would be disappointing and upsetting for Snape. Especially keeping in mind what of a childish and ridiculous mindset Draco had in this specific case.

Nordi looked at Severus sheepishly.

'We are taking the wards down.'

'You won't ever be able to do this.'

'Sir, I've already done it.'

Snape looked at him, stunned. His eyes darkened in horror.

'No worries, sir. They are now back on place. But we did put them down successfully, we apparated to the Headquarters and back for a try-out, and we even brought Bella and Lucius along.'

Snape looked stunned, but nodded slowly.

'That is a relief. Draco has recently been looking clearly unwell, I figured that he is struggling with his assignment.'

'Erm, sir... Concerning Draco's behavior towards you... that was really childish of him, but I personally think, that he wasn't thinking straight, having declined your help. And... I was purposely avoiding this topic in front of you, because I didn't want you to feel disappointed.'

'Well, I was disappointed with Draco's reaction to my offer. He was afraid that I want to take his task from him, and therefore keep all the credit to myself. That wasn't, obviously, the case, but he refused to acknowledge it.'

'I know.'

'Apart from that: what about Dumbledore?'

'I'm sure he hasn't spotted any interferences within the wards, as they were down for merely a few minutes.'

'That's not what I'm asking about.'

Nordi gave him an asking look.

'Is Draco ready to handle the second part of his assignment?' Snape precised.

'Oh, that won't be a big deal; he will have a strong backup- with the wards down, any number of Death Eaters can apparate freely inside of the castle. I'm sure that with such a help the old coot won't be able to defeat him.'

Snape shook his head, as if Nordi still didn't get the merit of his question.

'I was asking rather about his ability to actually kill a man.' Snape explained.

Nordi frowned, he didn't understand Severus' point.

'You mean that he is... unable to perform the killing curse, sir?'

'I am positive that he is able to perform the curse. But performing the killing curse, and killing, are two different matters.'

Nordi finally comprehended.

'You are trying to say that Draco isn't ready.'

'I cannot know that.'

'No, sir, he will do it, for sure. I mean... He is no killer, but he understands the Case. And, besides...here is more to him that meets the eye. He will manage.'

Suddenly , both Nordi and Snape cowered in pain, grabbing their left forearms. They looked at each other and stormed off the classroom.

'Sir, do you think that Draco wasn't summoned?' Nordi asked, as they made their way through the dungeons in a fast-pace. Snape hesitated as they were passing by the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room.

'Go and check, Exile.' he agreed. 'If Draco was asleep, he might not have felt it. Be quick.'

Snape uttered the password to the entrance, and Nordi sprinted through the Common Room, ignoring surprised looks from a group of older boys, and made his way quickly upstairs towards the Dorms. He stopped by the sixth-year boy's bedroom and stormed in.

'Draco! Wake up, Draco! LUMOS! ENERVATE!' he yelled, aiming the wake-up spell at everyone inside the Dorm. However, all he saw were half-asleep and very angry faces of Blaise Zabini, Theo Nott, Vince Crabbe and Greg Goyle. _Draco's bed was empty!_ He blushed in embarrassment and looked sheepishly at the boys.

'Bloody hell, guys, I'm so sorry!' he said. 'By the Dark Lord I'm going to get a crate of butterbeer for each of you to make up for this.'

He managed to run from the Dorm before any of the boys decided to curse him, and reunited with Snape in the corridor.

'He must have already gone sir. His bed is empty.'

Snape nodded and they ran through the underground passage.

However, Draco was nowhere to be seen at the Entrance Hall of the Manor. Only Bella, Lucius and Rookwood were present. Bella cheered up as soon as she saw Severus and Nordi.

'Nordi-boy, we're going to have some fun tonight, and this time, you are included!'

Lucius stepped forward to explain.

'An Auror's Raid on Rookwood family house has been held today afternoon. Augusts' brother and sister-in-law are dead.'

Nordi gasped and looked at August- the older Death Eater kept a straight face, but tears in his eyes could be seen.

'The prepator has been identified as Julius Bones, an Auror and a member of Order of the Phoenix. We are about to pay him a visit tonight.'

Severus looked at his old friend.

'August, were they...?' he asked softly.

'My brother Aelius was ten years my junior and has been marked recently. His wife was not. They were attacked out of nowhere in their own house.'

'I'm sorry.' Snape whispered.

'Lord Malfoy' Nordi said. 'Is Draco not going?'

'Not this time. I saw yesterday how malnourished and exhausted he looked; almost like it was him who has just spent ten months in Azkaban, not me. I asked Poppy to take care of him for a few days, keep him in bed and not allow to do anything tiring. He's been through a lot and needs plenty of rest, to be in shape when the day of fulfilling his assignment comes.'

Nordi and Snape nodded; Lucius was right.

Suddenly, the Dark Lord apparated inside the Entrance Hall and all five Death Eaters fell on their knees.

'Rise' he ordered. 'I hopefully do not have to tell you, Augustus, how deeply outraged I am by today's events. You all are allowed to play hard with this pathetic excuse for an Auror. Bellatrix, Severus, Lucius- our youngest comrade, Nordi, is going to partake in a Raid for the first time, so have a close eye on him. Nordi, give your best tonight.'

'Yes, my Lord.' all five answered in unison.

'You are dismissed.' Voldemort left the Hall.

Lucius pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and started giving details about the assignment. Bellatrix meanwhile grabbed Nordi by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

'Nordi-boy, look how tall you are! Already almost as tall as I am. And going to your first Raid ever, I'm so proud of you! Me and Lucius spoke to the Dark Lord about you having worked out the Hogwarts' wards. Looks like he decided to allow you to have fun tonight with us as a reward.'

'How _cool_ is that!' he whispered to Bella, exposing his teeth in a grin.

'Bellatrix, Exile, would you both please pay attention?' Lucius looked at them unimpressed.

They leaned over a piece of parchment with a sketch representing Auror Bones' estate. Lucius encircled the sketch with his finger and looked at Nordi.

'The house is shielded by protective wards. Of course, not quite as strong as the ones at Hogwarts, so I expect you to put them down quickly and effortlessly.'

Nordi nodded. Bella stepped forward.

'I will side-along apparate you there, Nordi-boy. When you are done with the wards, we will call upon Lucius, Severus and August to join us.'

The boy grabbed the female Death Eater's hand, and they disappeared with a "crack!".

The Apparition went horribly wrong. As they reached the destination, Nordi could feel his body bouncing painfully from a hard surface and falling from over ten feet on the ground. Bella faced the same fate. Groaning and cursing, they got up.

'I didn't suppose that this bastard has his shields spread all over the estate.' Bellatrix said, coming by to the invisible obstacle and cautiously putting her index finger on it. She quickly pulled it off with a hiss. Nordi frowned.

'Those are...Step aside, Bella!' he yelled, pulling out his sacrificial Dagger and slicing his wrist with a quick movement. He stretched his hand out, causing the blood to flow straight from his veins towards the invisible shield. A stain of blood has tainted the protective hemisphere, and soon evaporated with a loud hiss. Nordi cursed.

'Those are Repelling wards. Do you have, by any chance, some Blood Replenishment Potion with you?'

Bella looked at him surprised.

'No, I'm afraid I don't.'

The boy sighed. 'I supposed so. It's okay, I'll manage.'

He squeezed his wrist, causing more blood to flow. He started encircling the hemisphere, leaving a bloody trail at its boundary. Bellatrix quickly understood what Nordi was about to do and shook his shoulder.

'Gimmie this Dagger of yours, Nordi-boy. I'm going to cover the other half of the circle.' she ordered firmly.

'Bella, you don't have to...'

'Do you want me to let you bleed out? Not gonna happen. Give me the Dagger, Nordi-boy, chop-chop.'

The young Exile handed his Dagger over to the girl, and watched her slicing her wrist, letting out a small hiss. They started encircling the estate simultaneously, and met each other in the half-way. Nordi stretched his hand out and started muttering incantations; their blood started burning with a green light, causing the protective shield to fall.

Bella giggled with satisfaction. 'Time to invite the boys. 'she drew her wand and pressed it against her exposed Dark Mark. Snape, Lucius and Rookwood apparated at once by their side.

'Why did it take you so long?' Rookwood asked. 'I was starting to worry.'

'The bastard pulled out some powerful shields, what is more, they were outstretched all over the estate.' Nordi explained, hooking his Dagger by his belt.

'Let's go, guys!' Bella yelled, clearly unable to hold her excitement back. She almost ran towards the large wealthy-looking house, the four men hurried to keep pace with her.

'Wakey, wakey, everyone! BOMBARDA!'

A big explosion shattered the sky above the house. Some half- asleep voices could be heard from inside, and a tall, muscular man in his pajamas stepped out of the house, holding his wand outstretched.

'EXPELIARMUS! REDUCTO!' Bella yelled, but the Auror managed to shield himself. A small commotion started, when Bones' wife and two young children appeared at the door.

Seeing her husband fighting, the woman decided to retreat inside the house, but Nordi yelled 'FIENDFYRE!' setting the house in flames.

All four of the Bones' family turned their heads in horror, watching their house burn.

'Livia, take the kids and run!' Julius Bones yelled, turning back to the Death Eaters, who were slowly encircling him. The woman grabbed the toddler on one hand, and took the elder kid by the other hand. She apparated away, but Severus and Lucius were fast enough to tag and follow her.

Rookwood came by to the Auror, boiling with rage.

'HOW DARED YOU KILL THEM?!' he yelled, sending a combination of cursed towards the man. The Auror managed to dodge and hit the trembling Death Eater with a stunner.

'NO ! REDUCTO!' Nordi yelled, stretching his hand out towards Bones. The Auror really was well-trained, he shielded himself and shot a stunner towards Exile and Bella simultaneously.

'PROTEGO!' Nordi yelled, shielding both of them.

'You filthy, little...' Bella started, walking enraged towards the Auror.

'EXPELIARMUS!' Bones yelled, but Bella shielded herself and brought the man down by a well-aimed cutting curse. He collapsed with a groan. 'Incancerous.' Bella uttered upon him, tying him up with Magical roped.

'ENERVATE!' Nordi yelled, pointing his hand at unconscious Rookwood.

The older Death Eater opened his eyes and rose slowly.

'This is your revenge, August.' Bella said, pointing at the tied-up Auror on the ground. Rookwood came forward with an outstretched wand, looking at Bones with an immense disgust.

'Avada Kedavra.' he uttered.

A green flash appeared, taking Bones' life.

At the very moment, Lucius and Severus apparated by their side. Snape held the woman's body in his arms, and tossed it beside the dead Auror. Lucius had a very nasty scratch on his cheek.

'Fire, fire, Nordi-boy!' Bella yelled, patting the boy's sweaty back. He approached the dead bodies and stretched his hand out upon them.

'FIENDFYRE!' he yelled, setting the bodies on flames. Then, he lifted his left arm up to the sky. 'MORSMORDRE!'

A green light appeared out of Nordi's outstretched fingers and formed a familiar symbol of snake and skull in the night sky.

He felt Bella's hand on his shoulder and sensed a familiar tingle all over his body, as the female Death Eater side-apparated him back to the Manor.

As soon as they reached the Entrance Hall, the adrenaline in the boy's veins has worn off. The blood loss started to take its effect on his body; he felt an immense dizziness and passed out.


	13. I Want To Protect You

POV: Nordi Exile

Nordi woke up the next day , hearing a soft female voice upon him.

'...but I really cannot disregard the fact how much blood has he lost, Severus.'

'It is not an issue, Narcissa. After he had a shot of Blood Replenishment Potion, he has been recovering quickly. The only thing he needs now is some rest.'

'Nevertheless, Severus, a twelve-year-old on a Raid... he is too young to be so deeply involved... and so is Draco...'

' I can understand your motherly feelings, Narcissa, but both Nordi and Draco are doing extraordinarily well despite their young age. I cannot think of any person better fitted for this task than Draco, and now, when he has Nordi's helping hand, they are bound to succeed.'

Exile opened his eyes; he was in the Headquarters infirmary. Narcissa and Snape noticed him being awake and leaned forward to him.

'How are you feeling, Exile?' Severus asked.

'I'm alright, Professor. How long did I sleep?'

'Almost twelve hours. It's Sunday afternoon.' Snape replied.

'Have you been at the Headquarters since we returned?'

'Yes.' Snape answered slowly.

Nordi closed his eyes.

'Our Raid on Bones' estate is not a declassified information, is it?'

Snape's eyes twinkled with understand.

'If you are asking if I am allowed to disclose this piece of information to the Headmaster, then no, I am not.'

Nordi groaned and hid his face in the pillow. Narcissa gave both of them surprised looks.

'Severus? Nordi? What is that all about?'

Snape sighed and started explaining.

'We have just given the Headmaster a good reason to pay his precious attention to us. We have been away from the school grounds for an extended period of time- which couldn't have escaped his notice- and what is more, he will not be getting any explanation from me. It is most likely neither of us is going to be able to avoid him once we head back.'

Narcissa rose her eyebrows.

'What could he possibly do?'

Snape and Nordi exchanged glances.

'As the Lord of Light, Dumbledore has an ultimate way to cause suffering to a Dark Wizard. He can flood our minds and bodies with his blindingly light Aura to cause greatest physical pain one could think of. Up until this year, I used to be the only one to have to endure this. The majority of Hogwarts' students, with their underdeveloped Auras, cannot even sense Dumbledore's presence. My protégé here-' Snape pointed on Nordi-'is the first student the Headmaster managed to hurt this way.'

Narcissa stared in utter disbelief.

'Oh, Severus... Does the Dark Lord know?'

'Yes, Narcissa, he knows. But I have chosen to be a spy myself. I volunteered, being perfectly aware of what awaits me. Besides, Dumbledore's says are numbered. He is practically a dead man walking now. There is not much more time we have to suffer under his thumb.'

'Professor,' Nordi said quietly. 'I don't care how many days the old coot has left. I swear by the Dark Lord I will not let him hurt you again.'

Snape and Narcissa looked at the boy.

'Please, Professor' Nordi said. 'Promise me that you will wait for me before you head back to Hogwarts. We will head back together as soon as I recover. I don't want you to go to the castle on your own and expose yourself to him alone. Please, at least agree to let me help you carry this burden you have on your shoulders.'

Snape nodded slowly.

I will wait for you.'

Narcissa gave them a sad look.

'If so, neither of you is going to leave until evening. I will not let you outside of the infirmary until your blood is fully replenished.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nordi was happy that he managed to convince Snape that they should return to the castle together. Meanwhile, he was taking his time to rest in the comfortable infirmary. He asked Narcissa if he was allowed to erect a Warming Ward around his bed, as it was difficult for him to sleep, being used to always have his bedroom heated to at least 26°C.

Lady Malfoy said that she would agree, if only the Ritual didn't cost the boy even more blood loss.

'Oh, no, ma'am. This is not a Blood Ritual, but a simple one, and I can use a chalk or some ink to draw the circles. Of course I will clean them up before I leave.'

'If that is so, then go ahead. Aren't you hungry? Bella told me that she always has to force-feed you. If you will need something to eat or drink, you are free to summon a house elf.'

'Thank you, ma'am. I'm not hungry at the moment, but can I have a house elf get one book from the library for me?'

Narcissa rolled her eyes.

'So much for your recovery: performing Rituals and studying. Don't you ever rest?'

Nordi grinned. 'Hardly, ma'am.'

'You are exactly like my Draco.'

'I'm one of his kind.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At the end, Nordi was allowed to get himself the Ancient Parsel Runes compendium from the library. Sitting up on his bed and reading, he could feel Orion's eyes on himself. Each time he lifted his head at him, the older Exile looked down, pretending to be doing some infirmary paperwork.

Nordi was aware that he was witnessing a downfall of his legal guardian, just as he had witnessed the downfall of Irisviel before. Judging by Nordi's own observations as well as his talk with Bella, Orion was suffering from more and more severe remorses. He refused to communicate with anyone and locked himself in the hospital hall for entire days, doing his daily chores without exchanging a word with anyone. He even avoided making eye-contact, as if he was afraid that after twenty-five years someone might violate his mind again.

Nordi could understand that Orion's mind- having experienced such a trauma at four years of age- could cause the older Exile suffering, self-hatred and burning unpleasant second-thoughts. However, Orion has became so paranoid and uptight, that he refused to seek any help, even though he was a servant of the most powerful Master Legilimens in the world. Both Nordi and Bella tried to convince Orion to ask the Dark Lord for help, but Orion decided to go downward spiral instead. As much as Nordi hated to admit that, his former guardian was on a boundary of becoming a traitor. At his fragile mental state even a slight push could be enough to send Orion into enemies' hands.

However, Nordi didn't intend giving up on Orion; he had constantly in the back of his mind a resolution that he will find a way to bring the elder Exile back on track. Little did he know that a much-needed help for Orion was coming that very day, from a very unexpected direction.


	14. Redeeming Orion

POV: Orion Exile

The fair-haired Exile was busy filling an order for the Knockturn's pharmacy. He was taking quick glances at Nordi once in a while. The stupid boy had lost over a two liters of blood the previous night. Why was his protégé- or rather, a former protégé, because Nordi was nowadays much more independent- being so stubborn in putting his life at risk all the time?

Suddenly, Orion cursed and growled in annoyance- it was the Voldemort's familiar, snake Nagini, making her way inside of the infirmary. The giant snake was, of course, free to travel around the Manor as she pleased, but she didn't normally visit the hospital Hall. And she shouldn't be here, Orion thought, the infirmary was supposed to be a sterile place. Not without a reason pets were never allowed in hospitals all over the world.

He watched with surprise the snake making her way to Nordi's bed and climbing on it. Orion thought that Nordi would freak out, but the boy seemed happy with the snake's presence and stretched his hand out to pet her.

Orion finally comprehended- Nordi's bed and the space around it were warmed up to some ridiculous temperature. Snake could feel it and headed towards the warmth. Orion frowned, stood up and came by to the boy.

'Nordi, put those ridiculous warming wards of yours down, immediately. Look what have you done; you've lured the snake inside of the hospital.'

Nagini, curled up on Nordi's bed, suddenly lifted her small head to the level of Orion's eyes. The blonde Exile took a step back, eyeing the snake cautiously.

The serpent began to hiss softly, still focusing her sight on Orion.

Nordi behaved oddly. He seemed to be listening intently to the hisses, and then he grabbed his thick book, leafing through it and opening on some random pages.

'Nordi, what the...?'

'Orion!' Nordi exclaimed. His eyes were blazing with fire. 'This is about you!'

Did the boy hit his head so badly during the assignment?

'What is about me?' the Healer frowned.

'This is some kind of a song...or maybe... a nursery rhyme?' Nordi looked at the snake.

'What...?'

'Nagini, could you please repeat the entire thing?'

The serpent made its soft, rhythmical set of hissing sounds again. Nordi's fingers were running through the book; it seemed like he was looking up some words and phrases. The boy summoned a piece of parchment and started writing down some random words he had checked in this weird compendium. He repeated the process with Nagini two more times, each time finding more words in the book, apparently translating sounds made by the snake and building phrases out of them.

Finally, he smiled with satisfaction. Looking at the older Exile, he recited:

_Quater a century ago, out of nowhere appeared_  
_A young boy, soaking in blood._  
_His memories gone, he escaped war zone,_  
_But destiny was chasing the lad._

_Old Wizard, who led the Exiles' nation,_  
_Accepted the boy in his ranks,_  
_But in the boy's nature was seeking salvation_  
_In Dark Arts, not known by the man._

_His shattered past affected boy's future_  
_In the worst of possible ways-_  
_It left him hurt, self-hating and broken,_  
_He's doubtful and his loyalty sways._

'Orion, this is about you! Can you tell? All the detail are matching!'

'Did... did the snake tell all of that?' Orion asked, unsure how to react; it was ridiculous and terrifying in the same time.

'Yes, she did.'

'How were you able to understand? You are no Parselmouth.'

'Of course I'm not, but I'm studying Parsel Runes, and as this compendium comes with pronunciation, I was partially able to understand Nagini; all of the sounds I didn't understand were easy to look up in the book.'

Orion looked at the snake cautiously. She curled back up on the bed, but it seemed to keep her eyes on the fair-haired Healer.

'It's true that a lot of details of this..."_poem_"... are applying to me, but how is it even possible for her to know all that?'

'Remember that Nagini is a familiar of the most powerful Master Legilimens in the world. Familiars with strong bonds with their masters are known for being able, to a certain degree, assist them in their magical performance. Therefore, Nagini could have been able to read your mind when she made an eye contact.'

Orion cringed. He was paranoid about anyone messing with his mind after the events of his childhood. Never being able to produce strong enough shields, he simply tried to avoid making eye-contact with anyone as much as he could. And yet , he has just allowed a foreign presence in his mind- and out of all things, it was a snake! He hasn't even felt anything; Nagini must have slipped into his mind in a really snake-like style.

Orion felt sick. He found it gross and disgusting. He felt an onrush of hatred, not even towards the snake or Nordi, but towards himself.

'Orion, cheer up! Look, Nagini has just made an awesome discovery: your memories can be restored and your mind can be fixed! You only have to...'

Orion was enraged. He snarled at the boy.

'Don't you dare say even one word more, Nordi, or I will lose the remains of my patience. I have just let a snake inside my mind. That is the worst thing that could happen. If you go on and tell me that I should let anyone else mess with my mind now, I swear I won't talk to you ever again.'

'Orion, please, let yourself be helped. I have sworn to myself that I will find a way to help you. I'm not giving up on you.'

Orion felt awkward. What were Nordi's plans towards him? Was he really planning to help him, even though since he had been marked, they barely even talked to each other?

'Nordi, please, let go of it.'

However, the boy jumped off his bed.

'No. I'm not letting you go. I don't want to give up on you. I cannot watch you suffer and I cannot watch you downgrading. I want to be your comrade-in-arms, Orion, I want to help you.'

Orion took two steps back and drew his wand.

'Don't come any closer!' he warned. Nordi froze on the spot and stared at the older Exile in disbelief.

What Orion didn't t realize, was Nordi spotting a twinkle of paranoid fear, borderline insanity, in Orion's light blue eyes.

Nordi raised his hands.

'Orion, do you remember the conversation we had before I went to Hogwarts? You were the one to scold me for using hexes instead of holding a mature conversation. You said "_If you consider yourself an adult, please act like one_." And yet, now you are the one acting immature. Please, put the wand down. I only want to help you.' He made a step forward.

'Let me take you to the Dark Lord...'

'REDUCTO!' Orion yelled, acting on an impulse. Nordi stretched his hand out, shielding himself.

'Put the wand down!'

'NO!'

CRACK! A sound of apparition could be heard in the room. Much to Orion's horror, it was the Dark Lord.

He and Nordi immediately fell on their knees. Voldemort was looking outraged. Nagini slipped out of the bed and made her way towards her master, curling up by his feet.

'You two have some audacity to fight inside of the hospital.' The Dark Lord hissed. 'Anyone care to explain?'

Well, Orion didn't. Nordi, on the other hand, lifted his head.

'I want to explain, my Lord.'

'Rise.'

Nordi picked himself up from the ground. Orion groaned and cuddled his face to his knee, seeing the boy summoning the piece of parchment with the foul poem Nagini made about him.

Nordi handed the parchment to the Dark Lord, and started comprehensively explaining how Nagini was making hissing noises sounding like a lullaby, and how Nordi managed to understand her. To Orion's horror, Nordi also added the fact that the snake uttered those words after making an eye-contact with Orion, and presumably, sliding into his mind.

Orion didn't dare to rise his head. The parchment's contents were truthful, but aggravating. The last verse of the rhyme was pretty clear about Orion's mental state, his second thoughts and doubtfulness.

What was Voldemort going to do? Was he going to kill Orion? Was he going to curse him?

The Dark Lord hissed to Nagini in Parseltounge and the snake answered him with the familiar lullaby.

Orion didn't see the looks on Voldemort's or Nordi's faces, because he still didn't lift his head.

'My Lord' Nordi went on. 'Nagini's words are truthful. Orion had been a victim of a powerful attack on his mind in his childhood. In relation to that, he is clearly suffering, and his remorses are leading him to his downfall. Bellatrix can confirm my words...'

Orion clenched his teeth. He was outraged. How did Nordi want to help him? The boy was doing nothing but incriminating him!

'...and that was the reason of our fight of our fight. I was insisting on getting Orion to let himself be helped. I wanted to take him to you, my Lord.'

The Dark Lord took a step towards Orion.

'Rise.' he whispered.

Orion reluctantly picked himself up from the floor, but he didn't lift his head.

'Tell me, Orion Exile' Voldemort said softly, lifting the piece of parchment. 'Are those words truthful?'

Orion closed his eyes. 'Yes, my Lord.'

'The last verse is true as well? About your remorses? And swaying loyalties?'

Orion could feel big drops of sweat from his forehead making their way to his chin.

'Yes, my Lord.'

Now, he was going to be either crucio-ed, or killed on the spot. He clenched his teeth tightly, getting ready. However, nothing happened.

'Tell me, Orion.' Voldemort went on. 'Do you distrust me so much? How come you never have approached me for help with those issues? You must have been aware that I am able to fix the damage that had been done to you in your past.'

Orion jerked; he didn't expect to even be alive at this point. Was Voldemort really willing to help him after having learned the truth about him?

'My Lord, I...' he searched for the right words. 'I do not distrust you, but I... I hate myself. I hate what had been done to me, I hate my remorses, I hate my internal conflict, I hate not being able to be... to be like Bellatrix, or Nordi for that matter. I think I subconsciously assumed that I am not worthy of your help. Besides... I'm still paranoid about anyone performing Mind Magic on me. I fear having my mind tampered with again.'

Orion felt relieved after coming clean, and additionally not being killed of cursed. Voldemort came closer to him.

'And what about now, Orion Exile? Do you trust me?' he asked quietly.

Orion swallowed. He had to make a decision.

'Yes, my Lord.'

He lifted his light blue eyes until they met crimson red ones. The Dark Lord drew his wand pointing it on Orion.

'Legilimens.' he whispered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Orion was two years old and has just received an apple from his Grandmother Melania. Instead of eating the juicy, red fruit, he levitated it from the table to his small hand, and back. When Grandmother Melania stepped inside the dining room, she seemed amazed with Orion's Magical performance._

_'Arc! Arc! Come and look at your grandson.'_

_Grandfather Arcturus appeared in the room and having seen little Orion's Magic, he grabbed the toddler into his arms and hugged._

_xxx_

_Orion was three and he sprinted through a meadow, running away from a group of older boys._

_'Black! Stop right there, Black! '_

_One of the boys- might have been six or seven- had a wand, presumably one stolen from older siblings. He pointed it at Orion and tried to hex him. The little boy dodged, but fell on the ground under a second hex. The bullies encircled him._

_'Oi! You're a Black, right?'_

_Orion didn't know; was that his family name?_

_'Yes, he is.' another boy answered. ' His family is all the worst kind of people, the Dark Wizards. They're killing and hurting Muggles, that's what my Dad says.'_

_'And I've heard that they're hurting Muggleborns too. And that their whole family was generations of Slytherins! ' a third boy declared._

_'That's gross. All my brothers are in Gryffindor and I would kill myself if I ended up in Slytherin.'_

_'Oi, you! Black. Why are you guys hurting Muggleborns?'_

_Orion was three. He has never hurt anyone in his life._

_'He deserves a punch for what his family is doing.' The first boy said and kicked little Orion in the face._

_Tears appeared in the boy's eyes. He stretched his hand out towards the bullies and instantly the three of them crawled on the ground, crying out in pain._

_Orion hasn't lifted his curse until a grown-up appeared, making his way towards the boys. That was Uncle Orion; the little boy had his first name at Uncle's honor._

_'Oi! I have seen everything. Aren't you ashamed to chase and beat up a much younger child, you filthy little blood-traitors? My nephew gave you a good treatment, so I don't have to.'_

_He lifted the little boy up and carried home, hugging him._

_xxx_

_Orion was four and the walls of his house were shaking._

_Mother Lucretia stormed into the dining room._

_'Orion! How did that happen? How did the Aurors get here?' She was speaking to the grown-up Orion, her brother and little Orion's Uncle._

_'The wards have fallen.' Orion Senior replied bitterly. 'Both the repulsive ones and the Glamours.'_

_'And so much good of your Mudblood-hunting ! Now we have to deal with an entire regiment!'_

_Uncle Orion drew his wand._

_'It doesn't matter, Lucy. I will fight them. Stay inside with Junior and keep calm.'_

_Orion Senior has left. They heard flying spells and yells. Suddenly, they saw blazing flames outside; Uncle Orion must have burned the entire Aurors regiment down with a curse._

_Little Orion caught a glimpse of his smiling Uncle standing in the door, probably thinking that it all was over._

_'INCENDIO!' They heard a scream from outside. The entire stone wall from the front side of the house blasted apart. The power of explosion threw Orion Senior on the opposite wall like a ragdoll. _

_Mother Lucretia fell on the floor, shielding little boy with her own body._

_xxx_

_Orion Senior was badly injured, Mother Lucretia had a few nasty scratches. Orion Junior was bleeding from numerous small cuts all over his body._

_They weren't anywhere nearby the ruins of their home, it was a completely different location._

_'So much for your noble ideas, brother.' Lucretia said. 'Now, we are bound to live hiding from Aurors. If Ignatius was alive...'_

_'...he would have supported me.' Uncle Orion said firmly. 'And we can endure the Aurors. I only don't want Junior to have to experience that.'_

_'Are you sure about that Orphanage?'_

_'Yes. It is an aggregation of pure-blooded children, and Lord Merit provides them with the best level of education. As soon as Orion heads to Hogwarts, he would most likely be already on a graduating level.'_

_Lucretia sighed._

_'I guess this is a best place for him. No Aurors, no Mudbloods and the best education. However, are you sure about...?'_

_'Yes, Lucy. He will be prone to Legilimency attacks and that would put both him and us in danger. Besides, I don't want one of his earliest memories to be a bloody fight with_  
_Aurors. However, Lucy, keep in mind that I'm a Mind Arts Master. I will erase his memories, but I will be as gentle as possible and I will not hurt him.'_

_They reached their destination; a large building- the Merit's Orphanage- was down the hill._

_Little Orion was scared; he didn't comprehend what was going on. His white shirt and short trousers were covered in blood._

_Orion senior knelt in front of the boy and took him by his shoulders._

_'Listen, Orion. Whatever happens, I want you to know that your Mother and Uncle love you very, very much. Please, grow up to become a pride of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. And please, forgive me for what I'm about to do.'_

_He drew his wand and pointed it at the child._

_'Obliviate.'_

xxx

_A grown-up Orion Exile- or rather, Orion Black- sat in the middle of a blank room that he recognized as his mindscape._

_His mindscape was hurt. On the white walls of the 'room', he could see numerous, horribly looking, rotting wounds. They were pulsating with pain and giving off a terrible smell._

_Suddenly, the 'room' was washed out by a silver light similar to the one of a Healing Spell. Someone- was it the Dark Lord?- muttered incantations with a soft hissing voice. The wounds, one by one, started to close and slowly fade away._

_Orion could feel changes as the wounds were disappearing. All of his self-hatred, his doubts, regrets, the grief he had held within- started to diminish and fade away._

_The structure of his mind changed, too. It was no longer weak and fragile. Orion felt stronger and more confident._

_He could feel the Dark Lord retreating from his mindscape, being done fixing it. Orion plunged slowly into unconsciousness._

xxx

POV: Nordi Exile

'Enervarte.' whispered the Dark Lord upon Orion's unconcious body. The fair-haired young man opened his eyes, and Nordi immediately spotted the change- there was a twinkle of confidence and mental strength within Orion's eyes.

'How are you feeling... Orion Black Junior? ' Voldemort asked. Nordi blinked; was that Orion's real name?

'I feel amazing, my Lord.' Orion replied. Nordi could clearly hear new strength and power in his voice. What a relief- Orion's mind has been fixed!  
The fair-haired man picked himself up from the ground. He stood in front of the Dark Lord with a boundless gratitude in his eyes.

'My Lord, how can I ever possibly repay you... for this...miracle?'

'You do not have to "repay" me. However, you can say the words now, that you were supposed to say two years ago, that night on the Graveyard.' the Dark Lord replied, looking into Orion's eyes.

Orion fell on his knees.

'I want to sacrifice my life to your service, my Lord, and I wish to serve you to the best of my abilities.'

Voldemort seemed to be satisfied.

'That will suffice. Rise.'

Orion picked himself up.

'Do you, Orion Black, swear to trust me from now on?'

'Yes, my Lord.'

Voldemort nodded and turned to Nordi.

'As for you, my boy, I will request a monthly report on your progress in Parsel Runes. I shall find for you some books on the topic in my private library.'

Nordi gasped in shock; he didn't expect that.

'Yes, my Lord, I'd be honored.'

'And no more fights in the infirmary.' The Dark Lord added and apparated away.

Orion looked at his former protégé.

'Nordi, I am so sorry. I was so stupid. And I'm so grateful for what you have done.'

'It's cool, Orion. No big deal.'

'It is a big deal. I treated you like crap; I kept you away from relevant events for two years, not having mentioned that I have sent you to Hogwarts against your will. And yet, you have gone so far to save me from myself. If not for you, I would certainly have ended up either switching sides, or ending my own life.'

'Orion, you don't need to thank me. I told you I would never gave up on you. You are a Death Eater. We take care of our own.'

Orion smiled at him. Nordi realized that he saw Orion smiling for the first time in... years. Well, that was an unforgettable sight.

'More importantly,' Nordi went on. 'Shall I ask Bella to get a Black Family emblem for you?'

Orion grinned.

'I will ask her myself.'


	15. Our Last Day

As Nordi was dismissed from the infirmary, he made his way downstairs, looking for Snape. Said Professor was already waiting for him in the Entrance Hall. Nordi was glad that he had kept his promise and didn't go to the castle alone.

'Exile, what happened up there? I have heard a fight.'

'Well, sir, long story short... Me and Nagini tried to force Orion to get help regarding his mid issues. Orion got upset and hexed me, and then the Dark Lord stepped in and fixed Orion's mind.'

Snape gave him an unimpressed look.

'That is literally a "long story short". Care to provide me with some more details?'

The boy smiled and sat with Snape, explaining him comprehensively what had happened in the infirmary. Afterwards, both of them headed back to Hogwarts.

Much to Nordi's relief, Dumbledore wasn't awaiting them. He didn't descent into dungeons when they arrived, even his Magical Aura was nowhere to be sensed. The boy overheard a conversation in the corridor, saying that Dumbledore has been gone since the afternoon, apparently arranging some school issues. Nordi gladly confined the information to

Severus and retreated to his room for a good night's sleep.

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The next day, by breakfast, Nordi decided to skim through the NEWTs level Exam Curriculum, to check out if he actually had anything to revise. He sat over a piece of parchment, sipping on a sweetened Pepper-up Potion , when a very pale and unnerved Draco Malfoy came by.

The blonde boy leaned over to him and whispered anxiously.

'I have just received instructions from my Father. The time has come. We are doing it tonight.'

Nordi could feel his palms sweating. A wide grin appeared on his face. He never expected this to be happening so soon.

'So much for sitting my NEWTs.' he said mockingly.

Draco was so anxious and excited, that he seemed not to have recognized sarcasm in the younger boy's voice.

'How come you be able to think about exams right now, when there are so great and important events upcoming?'

'Draco, I was only joking. I couldn't care less about the NEWTs.'

He snapped his fingers, setting the Exams Curriculum on fire. The piece of parchment burned down and the ashes fell on the floor. He stood up and took his friend by the shoulder.

'Come on, Draco. This is our last day at Hogwarts. Tonight we shall be victorious; until then, let's enjoy this day.'

They made their way across the Great Hall towards the entrance. Stepping out, Draco accidently nudged a ginger-haired boy from his own year; Nordi recognized him as one of the Weasley siblings.

'Watch your step, Malfoy!' the boy snarled.

Another boy standing by the ginger's side- a raven-haired one in round glasses, Harry Potter- smiled mockingly at Draco.

'Malfoy, did your Father have a good holiday? How do you call such a wonderful vacation resort, Azkaban All-Inclusive ?'

Draco blushed with rage. Nordi put his hand on the blond-haired boy's shoulder.

'Potter, Weasley, nice to see you. Where is the Mudblood girlfriend you two are sharing?'

Both Gryffindors grimaced. Potter drew his wand at Nordi and shot a hex, but the young Death Eater shielded himself effortlessly.

'Repulso.' he snarled, sending Harry Potter flying against the opposite wall. The raven-haired boy fell on the ground.

Weasley clenched his teeth and made a movement to reach his wand. Nordi sent a stinging hex at the ginger's hand; Weasley hissed and pulled it off. He looked at the younger boy with a twinkle of hatred in his blue eyes.

'You have some audacity to call someone such an offensive name, Exile. In case you forgot, you were turned down by your own parents and you don't even know who they were!'  
Weasley fell on his knees under Nordi's powerful stunner. The young Death Eater came closer to the ginger and pulled the front of his robes up, lifting him to look him in the eyes.

'I may have been denied my heirloom, Weasley, but at least I know that my ancestry is pure. Not that if this word means anything to a blood-traitor like you. I wish you luck with your Mudblood girlfriend; you are both worth each other.'

Nordi let go of the older boy, and turned to Draco.

'Come on, Draco. They're not worth our time.'

Young Malfoy looked slightly anxious as they walked through the corridor. He looked back at Potter and Weasley worriedly.

'Don't you think you went a little bit too far?'

'And what are they going to do, Draco? Tell on me to Mcgonagall? Go to Dumbledore, who will be dead by tonight?'

Draco jerked.

'Keep it down.'

'There's no need, Draco. We don't have to keeps our heads down anymore. We are taking over Hogwarts tonight. We should be walking proudly and joyfully.'

As much as worried and anxious Draco was about tonight, Nordi's approach seemed to soothe him.

As it was their last day and great things were about to happen, they couldn't be bothered to attend any classes. They decided to go to the dungeons to wind down and relax before the task. The dungeons were abandoned at this time of the day; all the Potions classes were starting only in the afternoon, and the Slytherins who had a free period were much more likely to hang out outside ,considering a sunny weather.

Making the way downstairs, Nordi could sensing traces of two powerful, familiar Auras and he blinked, having a bad feeling. He sped up his pace and soon a familiar, loathsome voice could be heard.

'...that you consider me an old fool, Severus; and I do agree with you to a certain degree. However, I am not foolish enough to believe your story about the past weekend.'

'I told you, Dumbledore, I have been in Spinner's End. I am allowed to visit my own home during a weekend, therefore, I do not understand your claims against me. Now, if you please, I must head for classes.'

'You do not have any classes right now Severus, what is more, you have not been at the Spinner's End, and neither was the boy. Now please, stop messing around. I invite you to my office for a honest talk.'

'Please, Albus...'

'Look at me, my boy.'

Nordi's heart started racing like crazy. He sprinted through the dungeon's main corridor and turned to a side one, just in time to see Dumbledore grabbing Snape's left forearm, and the Potions Master clenching his teeth in an agonizing pain, and collapsing on the floor.

'CRUCIO!' Nordi yelled, with his hand outstretched towards the old Wizard.

The Headmaster fell on the ground, cowering in pain. He gasped, desperate for air, and groaned in suffering. Nordi held the curse- much to Draco's and Snape's horror- until Dumbledore plunged into unconsciousness.

Snape still sat on the floor, watching fallen Albus in a silent disbelief. He turned to Nordi; his eyes seemed to be asking "what have you done?"

Before the Professor had a chance to speak, Nordi helped him to pick himself up from the ground.

'It's alright, Professor.' he said. 'Tonight we are taking over Hogwarts. In a few hours this pathetic excuse for a Light Lord will be dead.'

Snape's eyes twinkled with understand. He looked at Draco, presumably figuring out that the blonde boy received a signal from his Father and Aunt.

'Are you hurt, sir?' Nordi asked, seeing Snape's pale, sweaty face.

'I am alright, Exile. Levicorpus.' he waved his wand at Dumbledore. 'I will take him to his office. As for the two of you- get yourselves busy with the preparations for tonight, and try not to draw anymore attention to yourselves. Especially you, Exile.'

The boys took Snape's words seriously, and spent the remainings of the day hiding under the wards of Nordi's room.

The younger boy tried to soothe Draco's anxiety; Malfoy heir sat on a conjured chair with a pale face, shaking like a leaf. Nordi leaned forward to him:  
'By the Dark Lord's name, Draco, what is worrying you so much? We are so well-prepared; nothing can possibly go wrong. You are a perfect person for this task, and you will prove yourself a hero tonight.'

Draco clenched together his trembling hands.

'That's not the case.' he said silently, not looking at Nordi. 'I have never... killed anyone before.'

The younger boy gave Draco a compassionate look; it couldn't hhave been easy for him. However, Draco needed to brace himself; second thoughts and doubtfulness were out of the place at this point (not as if the old coot had deserved any compassion in the first place).

'Look, Draco.' Nordi said softly. 'I hope you are aware what kind of person Dumbledore is. How does he sacrifice countless numbers of people for the sake of his so-called "greater good". How he messes up with people's heads, making them bend to his will. You need to know, Draco, that any of the students who represents some political value, is made a Dumbledore's pawn; his ladder step to power. There is hardly any teacher who isn't his pawn, either. The only one who refused to bend to him, has been tortured over the last sixteen years. Getting rid of the old coot, not only will you fulfill the Dark Lord's wish, but also, you will do the entire world a great favor.'

Draco looked at his younger friend, feeling a little bit more peaceful. Nordi watered down a vial of Calming Draught and poured it into two mugs; they were both sipping on it, waiting for the time to come.

Draco was casting tempus once in every few minutes. Nordi pulled his precious, beloved Death Eater's outfit out of his trunk and changed. He felt amazing wearing it again after such a long time.

Draco looked surprised.

'When have you received it?'

'Actually, this one wasn't made for me. It used to belong to my legal guardian, and I got it for my ninth birthday.' Nordi explained. 'What time is it?'

Draco casted tempus again; it was 11:30 in the night.

'Time for me.' Nordi whispered. 'Getting through with the wards is going to take me about twenty minutes. I'll give a signal to Bella when I'm done. About ten minutes before midnight, you can make your way to the old coot and I'll join you.'

'Nordi...' Draco said silently. Nordi looked down at him. 'What if anything goes wrong?'

'I do not acknowledge anything going wrong.' Nordi smiled and stepped out of the room.


	16. They Had Flames Inside Their Eyes

Under a Glamouring Charm, Exile made his way outside of the castle. Taking the wards took him even less time than he estimated, as he had memorized each step beforehand.

As soon as both of the shields disappeared, he found himself under the starry night, pressing his index finger against his Dark Mark.

'Bellatrix Black Lestrenge.' he whispered. The snake on his forearm wriggled.

That was an established beforehand signal, letting Bella know that the wards are down. However, Nordi was sure that she and the rest of the Death Eaters are going to wait until midnight, as it was the set time for the operation to start. It was still over ten minutes left.

Nordi apparated to the Dumbledore's office, which- to his surprise- was empty. Nordi stretched his Aura out, trying to spot Dumbledore's presence. He felt two Magical  
Signatures- a hostile one from the Headmaster and a friendly one from Draco- somewhere above his head, from a place located very high.

Nordi blinked. They seemed to be on the Astronomy Tower. He apparated there, and firs what he saw was Draco with his wand outstretched, pointing it at Dumbledore. Said  
Headmaster stood in front of the blonde boy, looking calm, but very pale.

Draco was boney pale as well, but he had twinkles of determination in his silver eyes.

Nordi came forward to his friend, overcoming the discomfort of Dumbledore's presence, and patted the blonde boy on the shoulder. Draco was struggling to breathe. Sweat was flowing from his forehead onto the ground.

'Easy, Draco. Breathe in- breathe out.' Nordi said quietly.

'Oh, the young Exile. So nice of you to be joining us.' Dumbledore said.

'Shut up!' Nordi hissed. 'You are about to get your reward for everything you've done, old man.'

Dumbledore turned his eyes to Draco.

'I would not be so sure, considering your friend's doubtfulness. It seems that he is not as consumed by evil as you are, young Nordi.'

Nordi snarled, clenching his fists.

'How dare you call anyone "consumed by evil", being the most evil person I know yourself ?! You, the one who toys with people, messes with their minds and emotions for your own benefit! You, who have been tormenting Professor Snape for all those years!'

He turned his head to the Malfoy heir.

'Do it, Draco! Kill him!'

CRACK! Six Death Eaters apparated by the side of both boys.

Nordi smiled, seeing that one of them was Orion, taking part in an assignment for the first time in two years. The boy spotted a brand new embroidery on Orion's chest- emblem of the House of Black "Tojours Pur".

Bella grinned, coming closer to Draco and Nordi.

'Good job, boys! We're finally taking over!'

Dumbledore looked stunned for the first time that night.

'Oh, I see I have even more visitors tonight. Care to explain how did you manage to apparate here?'

Bella snorted at him.

'You are about to die and still want explanations, Dumbly? You thought those little petty wards of yours are unbreakable?'

'This is exactly what I was thinking, Bellatrix. They have managed to keep the filth like yourself away from the castle for a thousand years.' The old man said in a calm voice. Bella's smile vanished, giving a place to fury.

'HOW DARE YOU INSULT HER!' Nordi yelled. 'DO IT, DRACO!'

'Quickly, Draco, and now.' Bella added.

The blonde boy was still shaking. Nordi put a hand on his shoulder.

'Easy, Draco. I'm sorry I raised my voice on you. I'm positive that you can manage; after all, he chose you for this task. You did extraordinarily well so far, and you are definitely able to finish your job.' He whispered soothingly.

The shoulder under his hand stopped shaking. Draco stood upright , a twinkle of confidence appeared in his eyes. He lifted his wand and uttered, loudly and clearly:

'Avada Kedavra.'

A flash of green light appeared and hit the old man in the chest, he was tossed back and fell down from the Astronomy Tower.

Draco gasped for air and aimed his wand up towards the sky.

'Mosmordre.' he uttered, conjuring an enormous green Dark Mark above the Tower.

Bella went berserker; she giggled and jumped around, throwing blasting curses at the Astronomical equipment. Nordi patted the back of stunned Draco.

'You did it!'

Draco nodded slowly.

Death Eaters, impressed by the glorious moment, have suddenly realized that the entire school was already on its feet. Nordi turned his head and heard a number of enraged, terrified voices downstairs. A bunch of students and teachers apparently already made their way outside; they voices could have been heard at the foot of the Tower. Nordi recognized two of them as Professors Mcgonagall and Flitwick.

'What happened? A Dark Mark?'

'How is it possible? ...Oh...Albus! MINERVA, OVER HERE!'

'By Melin's name, Albus...!'

'Minerva, he's dead ! How did that happen?!'

'...wait...what is that? Anti-Apparition ward is down!'

'What...? Filius...'

'The Ward Stone! Make it safe! SCOURGIFY!'

'NO!' Nordi yelled and ran to the edge of the observatory, leaning forward to look down. He turned his face towards Snape.

'Sir! They've erased my Blood Circle! The ward is back on its place!'

Draco paled rapidly.

'We cannot disapparate?!'

'CALM DOWN!' Snape yelled and quickly took things into his charge. He leaned forward like Nordi to assess the height of the Tower.

'How many of you can cast a Cushioning Charm?'

Orion, Bella and one of the Carrow siblings - Alecto- rose their hands. Nordi has never heard of this spell before.

'We are jumping.' Snape said firmly.

'WHAT?!'

'There's no time to waste on talking! Alecto and Amycus go together, Bella takes Nordi, Orion takes August and I take Draco. Each person who can perform the spell shields themselves and their partner. Is that clear?'

Everybody nodded hesitantly. Snape took Draco by the hand and jumped from the Tower. Orion and Rookwood were next to jump, followed by Carrow siblings. Bella offered her hand to Nordi, grinning.

'Time for us, Nordi-boy.'

As much as Nordi was terrified of the jump from over fifty feet, he trusted Bella enough. He accepted her hand and they jumped, descending with a crazy speed. While in the air, Bella drew her wand and casted the Cushioning Charm, that allowed them to land softly on the grass. Everybody was already down there, safe and sound.

'Don't bother taking the wards back down, Exile, there is no time.' Snape said. 'Everybody, stay close; we retreat to the Forbidden Forrest and apparate from there.'

'THERE THEY ARE! MINERVA! THE DEATH EATERS!' Flitwick's voice yelled and two bright threads of red and yellow light were shot towards their group.

'PROTEGO!' Snape yelled, creating a powerful shield. 'REDUCTO!'

The impact of his spell has sent both Flitwick and Mcgonagall flying ten feet back and falling on the ground.

'RUN!' Snape yelled.

Seven Death Eaters sprinted through Hogwarts common grounds, heading towards the Forrest.

'Woo- hoo!' Bella yelled, running. She was in her element. 'BOMBARDA MAXIMA!'

A large explosion lighted up the night sky. Suddenly, Nordi noticed in the corner of his eye that someone was chasing them in a crazy-paced sprint. Judging by speed, it couldn't have been Mcgonagall (who was in her seventies) nor Flitwick (who was three-feet-tall).

Nordi turned around and saw the raven-haired boy, the one he had a fight with that morning-Harry Potter. The Gryffindor was clumsily shooting hexes, however, he seemed to be ignoring Draco, Orion, Nordi, Bella , the Carrows or Rookwood. He seemed to be fixated exclusively on Snape, desperately trying to hit him with a spell.

'HOW DARED YOU?!' Potter yelled. 'CRUC...'

'PROTEGO!' Severus snarled.

'HE TRUSTED YOU!'

'HE WAS MISTAKEN! I WOULD NEVER GAVE MY LOYALTY TO SUCH A PERSON! STUPEFY!'

Potter managed to dodge.

'YOU COWARD!' He screamed on the top of his lungs.

'HOW DARE YOU CALL HIM A COWARD! REDUCTO!' Nordi yelled, stretching his hand out towards Potter. The raven-haired boy fell on the ground, gasping. Snape looked at him with disgust.

'You call me a coward, Potter, yet your father would never attack me unless it was four on one, what would you call him, I wonder? INCARCEROUS!'

Magical ropes immobilized Potter's body. The Death Eaters turned back and proceeded towards the Forrest. Nobody also dared to follow them, so they could slow down their pace and walk quickly instead of running. Bella was shooting "Bombarda's" all throughout the way, as well as an "Incendio" towards a game-keeper's hut, setting it on flames. The night sky lit up by the countless explosions and blazing fire.

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POV: Severus Snape

Severus wasn't really surprised by Potter's reaction for the loss of his beloved and precious Headmaster. Too bad the boy had never comprehended how the old man was toying with him and manipulating him; regardless all the horrible things Dumbledore had done, Potter kept worshipping him like a hero.

Snape was deeply hurt by Potter calling him a coward-him, who had to endure sixteen years worth of torment and humiliation from the Headmaster's hand. However, he was glad that he managed to withhold himself, not to kill or severely injure the boy. After all, Potter belonged to the Dark Lord exclusively.

Severus couldn't have been more satisfied by the night's events. Everything went smoothly and nobody got injured. Snape was especially proud of Draco, Nordi, and Orion- who finally managed to crawl up from his cocoon and stand up to fight.

Severus turned his head towards the said three young men- they walked side-by-side, boldly and confidently, the light of explosions above their heads reflected in their eyes.  
If the future of the Death Eaters and the entire Wizarding World laid in the hands of people like those three, then Snape did not have to worry about the forthcoming times.


End file.
